There's a lot of anxiety and intense emotion across our nation right now--I don't know anyone who isn't feeling it.


If you're anxious or stressed, too, try out these super-easy (and, honestly, some of them are a little wacky, too, which is one of the reasons I think they're so cool) relievers from Prevention. They may not keep you as cool as a cucumber all day long, but they do promise to help take the edge off some of your stress--and each one requires less than two minutes to do. So there's really no reason not to try them, right?

Warm Your Hands
When you're anxious, your nervous system defaults to an emergency response: it directs blood flow to your largest muscles, leaving your hands cold. Warming them up sends a signal to your nervous system that everything's A-OK and gives it the green light to calm everything down.

Give Yourself a Hug
It may sound silly, but giving yourself a squeeze will actually release the feel-good hormone oxytocin and other body chemicals, which will give you an instant mental health boost.

Drop Your Jaw
Experts say that opening your mouth slightly and letting your tongue go limp lets your brain know it can turn off stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. The move apparently gives our bodies the signal that it's time to rest and restore energy.

You know that deep breathing soothes, but it's the exhalations that truly count: long exhalations actually slow down a speeding heart rate. When concentrating on breathing, take three exhalations, and make them twice as long as your inhalation.

I'm going for the warm-hands one this morning, myself, with a hot mug of tea. How are you doing this morning? What's your favorite way of relieving stress?

More on stress and anxiety:
* Amanda Seyfried's "liquid courage"
* The health reason we all need to chill out this season
* The best tips for breathing away stress

Photo: Thinkstock