These are some simple relaxation tools that help me:
Breathe deeply, from your diaphragm (deep down not from your chest but from your "gut")
Slowly repeating a calm word such as the famous relax, relate, release
Use Imagery, i.e. thinking about something pleasant like your children or what you and your spouse did last night
call me silly but if someone stresses me out at work like my boss or co-worker I go in my office and call my best friend and talk bad about them calling them everything from dirt bag to a "single-cell life form"
. Basically laughing the stress away.
and the final but BEST thing for me to do when I'm stress is doing yoga-like exercises. It can relax your muscles and make you feel much calmer.
[This message has been edited by PrettyLadyT (edited April 19, 2001).]