1. Take A Walk By The Water

Staring at bodies of water has been proven to calm your mind. Also, looking at something much bigger than you tends to lend some perspective. If you don’t live near water, a puddle should do the trick. Or…

2. Take A Bath

With bubbles. Maybe some candles and a bit of ambient music. Everything else will cease to exist.

3. Have A Nightcap

Allowing yourself to unwind at the end of the day with your drink of choice is more than acceptable drinking behavior, as well as a totally effective stress killer.

4. Listen To Really Loud Music

Turning up the volume will immediately silence those pestering thoughts about your 9 A.M meeting tomorrow.

5. Just Do The Thing You’re Thinking About

Can’t get your stressor off your mind for so much as a minute? If this recurring thought is something you can take care of right now, just get it out of way. Even if the outcome isn’t perfect, you’ll at least stop feeling like you have an unchecked item on your to-do list.

6. Light Some Incense

This one doesn’t do it for me, but I’ve heard rave reviews from those who can calm down purely by smell.

7. Masturbate

Seriously, this might be the most surefire instant de-stressing method I know.

8. Watch Your Favorite Movie

The familiarity of revisiting an old favorite will remind you that there are places you can travel in which none of your obligations exist but can still feel like home. Just you and Michael J. Fox, traveling back to the fifties in a DeLorean … (Maybe “Back to the Future” isn’t your favorite movie, but you catch my drift.)

9. Have Sex

Similar to masturbation, but even more effective (depending on who you do it with, of course).

10. Treat Yourself

Whether it’s to a nice meal, a new pair of shoes, or watching a movie in theaters, get something nice for yourself. It will remind you that you deserve to be treated well, which stress usually makes you forget.

11. Lay Off The Coffee

I know it can be necessary for you to function, but lowering your coffee intake will also lower your heart rate.

12. Get A Plant For Your Home

Living with something that never complains about its problems and uses the sun for energy should be a good inspiration for lessening your anxiety.

13. Unload To Your Pet

Telling them your problems works. Believe me, after a good cry on your dog’s shoulder, you’ll remember what true love feels like, and that can bring down anyone’s stress levels.

14. Indulge In Some Comfort Food

Whether it’s chicken noodle soup or cornbread, it will instantly fill the void that’s responsible for your existential crises, even if only for the length of your meal.

15. Call Your Mom

Or whichever sort of parent/guardian/mentor figure makes you feel the most taken care of. However, be sure to choose your timing wisely. Sometimes telling your mother about your problems can lead to twenty new ones.

16. Perform A Tedious Obligation

This may sound counter intuitive, but sometimes repetitive tasks can be the most calming. You can zone out while also doing something you’ve been putting off. One minute you’re daydreaming about vacation in the Bahamas, and the next thing you know, you’ve finished folding your laundry!

17. Take A Long Bike Ride

Wind in your hair + ever-changing scenery + physical exercise = a carefree approach to living.

18. Clean

This works similarly to the tedious obligations option but has further psychological benefits. Getting rid of the grime in your home should help you destroy the grime in your mind.

19. Go On A Trip

Get out of the city for a while, even if it’s only to Long Island. The change of pace will remind you that the whole world isn’t full of honking cars and pushy pedestrians.

20. Take A Personal Day

Convince yourself that you’re sick to the point that you can’t possibly do anything your boss asks of you, but that you’re well enough to do anything you ask of you.

21. Write It Down

Put everything that’s stressing you out down on paper. And then burn it. Or if that seems like too much of a hazard, throw it out, or rip it into a million pieces, or something like that.

22. Yell Loudly At An Inanimate Object

Curse the fuck out of it—you won’t hurt anyone’s feelings, but it will still feel cathartic to get out the inner scream.

23. Tell Your problems To Someone You Don’t Usually Open Up To

Maybe this person is a friendly acquaintance, maybe a new therapist. Either way, someone you don’t normally talk to should be able to give you a fresh perspective. Plus, they won’t roll your eyes like your best friend does when you tell her the same story about your stupid ex-boyfriend.

24. Listen To Reggae

“Don’t worry, be happy,” you know? Enough said.