9 Daily Rituals to Help You Cope with Stress

"In a way, smokers have the right idea," says Julian Ford, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and coauthor of Hijacked by Your Brain. "When they step outside to light up, they're doing one of the most important—and hardest—parts of de-stressing: taking a break. They consciously distance themselves from immediate pressures and remove themselves from all the cues that say, Work harder. This naturally turns down the alarm in their brain. Happily, you don't have to engage in dangerous behavior like smoking to do this. Simply walking away from stressors for a few minutes can be one of the best practices for learning to handle daily pressure." — Kim Tranell