If you feel like everything is getting on top of you, or if you're struggling to cope or function, or if you're beginning to feel down in the dumps, try these 5 simple tips to relieve tension and stress and lift your spirits.

Tips To Boost Your Spirits

1. Take a soothing bath. Put on some music, light some candles, and pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage: beer, tea, hot chocolate, wine, or even champagne. For an hour or so, close the door and forget about almost everything. This contributes to increased levels of calmness, and the more calm we feel, the less likely we are to become stressed or depressed.

2. Comedy night: bring your favorite snacks, such as chips, tortillas, salsa, crackers, cheese, pizza, chocolate, cookies, ice cream, and so on. Open a bottle of wine or pour yourself a beer or two and spend the evening watching your favorite comedies or films. Laughter lifts our spirits and serves as an excellent antidote to the stresses and trials of modern life.

3. Get out of the firing line: Go somewhere quiet for a day, or better yet, a weekend or a week. Take a journal, sit back, and collect your thoughts. When we are under stress or struggling to cope with a major situation or event in our lives, it can be extremely difficult to see solutions to existing problems. Distancing oneself from a problem can help to bring clarity and relieve tension. When I'm feeling like this, I love going to the coast because it always, without fail, helps me to relax and find solutions. I'm not sure why, but being near the ocean is very relaxing to me. Being near water, to be honest.

4. Indulge in massage to increase calmness and make you feel great. Share a massage with your partner – make a relaxing environment by dimming the lights and having oils and towels on hand. Lavender oil is especially soothing. Alternatively, you could get a massage from a skilled masseur or masseuse. If you're lucky enough to have one nearby, go for a really invigorating massage at a Turkish bath. Massage is extremely relaxing, and it increases intimacy between lovers. It's also a great stress reliever, but be warned: it's addictive! It's not a bad thing to be addicted to, and it'll do you a lot of good.

1. Devote a week to not watching television. Television can fill your mind with negativity, bombard you with image manipulation through commercials, and give you a distorted perspective by displaying everything that is wrong with the world. Famines, disasters, murders, violence, war – the list is endless – and such events abound in news programs and soap operas. So give your mind a break from this sensory assault. Give up watching television for a week and do something more rewarding: read a book, listen to music, socialize, workout, go for a walk, or try something new. Listen to a broadcasting news bulletin daily if you need to hear the story.

The ideas presented above are not only simple to implement, but they are also very able to relieve stress and tension. Give them a shot and watch your mood improve!