7 Tricks To Help You Deal With Stress This Week

So zen right now.

1. Take a candlelit bath or shower, and listen to some soothing music while you're in there.

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These soothing songs will help you de-stress. And, if you're in the market for a waterproof shower speaker, this one's quality and affordable.

2. Download the OMG. I Can Meditate! app and play around with it a bit to see if it's for you.

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Meditating can be tough at first, but you probably know that a lot of people truly swear by it. And studies like this one have shown that it can actually help reduce stress. The meditations in this app, which are led by meditation coach and co-founder Lynne Goldberg, are a great place to start if you're curious about how to begin.

Get it here.

3. Start following a bunch of dogs on Instagram.

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Seriously, how can you not feel a little bit better about life in general when you're watching a classy dog eat pasta like a pro? (For the record, that dog is @SamsonTheDood, and he is the CUTEST; here are 19 other dogs who will also brighten up your feed.)

4. Chill in a restorative yoga pose for a bit.

Lauren Zaser / Justine Zwiebel / BuzzFeed

You could just relax in this pose for a couple minutes, and that would be totally cool. But this pose is actually part of a bigger series of three yoga poses for stress relief, so if you want to channel even more zen, try doing them all together: The Best Three Yoga Poses For Stress Relief.

5. Buy an adult coloring book, and try filling in a page or two to see how you like it.

Boxtree / Emma Farrarons

Boxtree / Emma Farrarons

The book above is especially useful for helping you feel a little bit more calm, but really, any coloring book can do the trick. It's all about getting into a meditative state of mind, so you're not thinking about all the things that are stressing you out.

Find some great ones, including the one above, here.

6. Take a nature walk.

Annie Daly

There's a growing body of research out there that's proving how being out in nature helps reduce stress and boost well-being. One study from Stanford University, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that it may be because spending time in nature "reduces rumination," i.e. helps you obsess about things a little less and just ~be.~

7. Meet up with your friends for a group dinner or hang.

Annie Daly

Though it can be tempting to hole up in your apartment when you're feeling stressed, actually being around people who support you may make you feel better overall. "Not being lonely and isolated and instead having positive social interactions can help minimize stress," neuroscientist Bruce McEwan, PhD, told BuzzFeed. If you're really not feeling it, try FaceTiming or just a simple phone call to get a similar positive effect.