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Relaxation techniques are a great way to help with stress management. Relaxation isn’t only about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. Relaxation is a process that decreases the effects of stress on your mind and body. Relaxation techniques can help you cope with everyday stress and with stress related to various health problems, such as heart disease and pain.

Rewrite your internal dialogue. Listen to how the voice in your head comments on your looks. Remind you of the middle school mean girl? You may be internalizing attitudes and ideals from other people or being too hard on yourself, says Vivian Diller, Ph.D., and Jill Muir-Sukenick, Ph.D., coauthors of Face It: What Women Really Feel as Their Looks Change (Hay House). Vow to talk to yourself with the same encouraging, kind words and tone you’d use for a close friend.

Massage facilitates circulation because the pressure created by the massage technique actually moves blood through the congested areas. The release of this same pressure causes new blood to flow in. The squeezing and pulling also flushes lactic acid from the muscles and improves the circulation of the lymph fluid which carries metabolic waste away from muscles and internal organs, resulting in lower blood pressure and improved body function.