Stress has affected all of us at one time or another. It seems like once it comes around it won’t go away. It’s a burden that robs us of our good mood, making it impossible to enjoy our lives.

If you’re stressed out and need solutions, we’ve got you covered. Here are 10 natural ways that you can relieve stress.

Pop a Piece of Dark Chocolate

We keep talking about dark chocolate, but it’s perfect for almost everything! One ounce of dark chocolate can help to relieve stress. It triggers a euphoric feeling, which makes us feel good. This results in less stress and more smiles.

Use Lavender

Lavender instantly relaxes you. You can inhale fresh lavender, lavender oil or drink some lavender tea. If you’re at home, you can add a drop or two of lavender to your pillows on your couch or in your bed. This will keep the scent around for much longer.

Drink a Hot Cup of Tea

Tea has long been praised for its medicinal and health properties. One of the things it does is help to relieve stress. A hot cup of tea soothes you, and helps you to collect your thoughts. Any type of tea works. It can be plain or flavored. Just make sure it’s hot. The steam (and sometimes the scent) is what helps to relax you.

Soak in a Tub

A warm bath can help to relieve tension in muscles and mental stress too. You can make your bath a little hot if you want, but don’t make it so hot that it’s uncomfortable. You want the temperature to be just right.

Your body’s response to heat is to relax. This is why warm/hot baths work to relieve stress.

Go for a Walk

Walks get you exercise and help you to clear your head. It’s almost impossible to stay stressed or angry after you go for a walk. The fresh air and the blood flow stimulate your brain and body. Your serotonin levels increase, which makes you feel good.

Next time you feel stressed, go for a walk for about 20 minutes. You’ll come back refreshed and ready to tackle your next obstacle.

Have a Glass of Wine

All alcohol is relaxing but wine has health properties too. It is full of antioxidants, which are good for your skin, immune system and heart. A glass of wine – red or white – can relax you. Just make sure that you don’t overdo it.

Watch a Comedy

In this case laughter really is the best medicine. Watching a comedy or your favorite standup comedian can really knock stress out of the park. You’ll be so focused on laughing and being happy that you won’t even remember why you’re stressed out in the first place.

Play With Your Pet

If you have a pet, spending time with them and playing with them is a great way to fight off stress.

Pets are loving, entertaining and make you happy. Studies have shown that owning a pet can help to fight off depression. The companionship and love of a pet is a great remedy for foul moods. It only makes sense that it would help to fight off stress too.

Talk it Out

Sometimes all you need is someone to talk to. Call up a family member or a friend and talk to them about the situation. Unloading an emotional burden to a listening ear will help you feel much better.

Change Your Scenery

Sometimes our environment is what stresses us out. If that’s the case you need a change of scenery. Try going somewhere like the mall or to see a movie. You can even treat yourself to an ice cream sundae. Just do something else for a little while. You may find the solution to what’s stressing you out.

Stress can have a negative impact on our health. We will never have stress-free lives, but we can manage stress with the important tips mentioned above.