I start by taking a nice relaxing shower & envisioning the stress washing down the drain. For me it has to start off as a hot shower then cool down. I usually have a nice smelling candle going also.

I used to put in a DVD & watch a movie. It tskes my mind totally off what was causing the stress..it doesn't mean the stress is gone or that it won't pop back up again but it gives me a break & a chance to break the cycle for awhile & get a little relief.

Really stressful situations require a repeat of this often for me.