Science shows that a good way to prevent relapse is to manage stress properly. Managing stress is one of the best things you can do in order to prevent relapse and it’s quite easy to do9. Here are a few ways to help you manage stress and overcome life’s daily challenges.

Deep breathing
Count to 3. Then count to 4. Count to 8. Deep breathing, when done slowly and in a quiet place can help your muscles loosen up and your mind wander a bit and relax. Sometimes, when life is starting to get a bit too stressful, our instinct is to take shallow and lesser breaths. So think of deep breathing as a lifehack to help you loosen up a bit.

Meditation
Meditation need not be too complicated. A lot of people can be quick to dismiss meditation as something that’s steeped in pseudo-science. According to research, meditation does help both the mind and body since it basically involves sitting (or lying down) in a quiet place and letting all your frazzled nerves and nervous muscles relax for a bit. You don’t need to have a complicated chant or tantric music playing in the background. Staying silent for a few minutes a day can help you relax and unwind for a bit without having to spend any money.

Yoga
Yoga is very daunting for beginners and practitioners alike. But it need not be. You can start with simple poses (like Child’s pose or Corpse pose) and actively practicing it everyday. When you do even just one pose for the whole week, that’s already a Yoga practice in action.

Journaling
Journaling all your thoughts, actions (reactions), and food intake for the day can help you determine your stress triggers. You might be surprised at how the simplest things can actually build up and bring stress to your life. When you write everything down, you can determine which things and persons are actually harmful to your life.

Reading
Reading is a great way to escape and find yourself. With reading, you can practice safe escapism, widen your knowledge, and have a deeper sense of understanding and sympathy for all kinds of people. There’s even a form of therapy that focuses on the act of reading. It’s called bibliotherapy. If you’re interested in that, you can perhaps look for a bibliotherapist in your area.

Getting Hands On
Set aside time for a hobby that you enjoy. It can be something as simple as gardening or creating arts and crafts that you see on Pinterest. Woodworking is also a great hands on hobby that gives anyone the pleasure of seeing something come out from nothing.

Getting A Massage
If you like massages, then getting a weekly or once a month pampering can definitely reduce your stress levels. But if you don’t like massages, you can simply opt for a sauna session or something else that’s up your alley.

Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy has been proven to relax and unwind the mind. Go for scents like lavender, chamomile, or ylang ylang.

Following A Daily Schedule
Following a daily schedule can help lessen stress-inducing “surprises” throughout the day. This is a great technique to help you overcome anxiety and stress that’s induced by not knowing what could happen at any given moment.

Listening to Music
Listening to music is a great way to unwind, relax, and forget about your worries a bit. Of course you’d have to be careful about your music selection. Go for Jazz, classical music, or instrumental songs that encourage and uplift the mind and soul.