Many of us are stressed out right now. What with the economy and the news reporting on the economy and all the other bad news blues they report on it can be easy to stress out. Now there are simple ways of letting going of anxiety and depression with some simple exercises.

1) When you feel yourself getting stressed out breathe. Take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Repeat until you feel your heart rate slow down and your anxiety fade.

2) Systematically let go of the stress in each part of your body. Imagine your head muscles relaxing, then your neck, then your shoulders and so on. Take your time and really focus on relaxing each muscle group.

3) Eliminate caffeinated beverages from your daily routine. They simply make you feel jittery and more nervous.

4) Take a 15-30 minute shower or bath, if you can. Play some mellow music and just let your thoughts drift away.

5) Stop fighting your thoughts. The more you fight them, the more you keep them in mind. Allow yourself to have the negative thought then say to yourself "cancel cancel".

6) Spend time imagining your life the way you truly want it. Allow yourself to feel what you would feel if it was perfect. Add as much detail as possible from sight and sounds to even smell if you can manage it.

7) Take a relaxation class, meditation class or yoga. Surround yourself with others who are just as intent on relaxing.

8) If you get stressed out at work, take a bathroom break. Just go sit in the stall and take a second to get focused and grounded again. Almost no one will stop you from taking a potty break, so this is a great way to take a minute for yourself without it being considered personal time.

9) Send love and approval to everyone you encounter, especially the ones that seem to go out of their way to press your buttons. Hating them does nothing to them but I guarantee that it does not help your stress levels. So do yourself a favor and allow yourself to feel loving toward them. Separate the person from their actions and realize that they probably have problems just like you do and are simply not handling it well.

10) Make a daily list of the positive things that happen to you in your life, even if it is as minor as finding a great parking space. Go over this list at the end of the week and realize how much good you actually do have in your life. As a friend of mine always says," Positive attracts positive." When you focus on the good things that happen to you throughout the day more good things will naturally come to you.

So there you have it, a long list of ways to let go of stress and actually relax and be happy. Use them well and use them daily. You will be amazed at the difference this will make in your life and in your relationships.