All individuals are prone to stress. When it hits, it helps to have a go-to bank of quick-acting tools for relaxation. While a primary objective of learning how to relax is obviously feeling better, there are important benefits for your overall health and well-being too. When you know how to relax your mind, you are able to think more clearly under pressure, better resist future stressors, have a more positive outlook and healthier body, and even reduce your long-term risk of related health problems, such as chronic illness or heart disease.

If you want to learn how to relax in five minutes or less, give the suggestions below a try.

Find Some Alone Time

If you are with company, taking time out to manage your feelings alone can be a helpful first step. When you feel overwhelmed with stress, don’t be afraid to seek out some space away from others. That could be finding an empty conference room in the office or simply excusing yourself to use the restroom in social settings. Thereafter, you can give yourself a few minutes to simply close your eyes, try some deep breathing with a focus on long exhales, listen to a short meditation via a wellness app, or splash some cold water on your face or wrists.

Don’t be Fooled by Faux Relaxation

Be honest about the effects of certain behaviors when exploring how to relax. You may turn to activities that appear to be relaxing but leave you worse off overall, such as ticking away time passively watching TV, blowing off steam with substance abuse, or mindlessly scrolling through social media.

Take a Tech Break

In fact, temporarily stepping away from tech can be one of the more powerful tools for relaxation, even if only practiced briefly. Turning off email and app notifications, skipping TV in favor of reading a book, or staying off your phone an hour before bedtime can help you feel more relaxed overall.

Get Your To-Do List Under Control

It can be hard to know how to relax if you aren’t clear on what you need to do next. Avoid stress getting the better of you by creating a realistic and prioritized to-do list. Having a clear grasp of what tasks there are at hand can quickly help you feel more in control and stop you from spiraling into a state of stress.

Keep Relaxing Snacks on Hand

Snacking on certain foods can serve as one of your tools for relaxation when stress hits. Explore ingredients with anxiety-busting properties, such as chocolate, honey, green tea, and more.

Put Your Head Below Your Heart

Keeping your head below your heart has a restorative effect on the autonomic nervous system (ANS). If you need to know how to relax your mind and body quickly, place your head between your knees or stand with your head and arms hanging towards your toes. This will help diminish your body’s fight-or-flight response to stress.

Try an Express Massage

Massage is recognized as a way to counteract stress. Even briefly massaging a small part of the body such as the hands can have a relaxing effect. Rub your favorite cream into both hands, then slowly massage every joint as well as the webbing between each finger. You can also try clenching and releasing your fists, then flexing your wrists. If your neck is tight, try some acupressure: press your fingers firmly into the two divots where your neck muscles attach to your skull and hold for 15 seconds.

Squeeze a Stress Ball

Just as the name implies, a stress ball can help you manage angry or anxious emotions by squeezing it. Add this into your office arsenal of tools for relaxation so you always have it on hand when you need to figure out how to relax fast.

Put Your Feet Up

Yoga’s “legs up the wall” pose sends immediate rest signals to the brain, activating the body’s “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system response. This helps to slow your heart rate, decrease blood pressure and relax the mind and body in a short amount of time.

Hit Reset

Abruptly changing your environment or train of thought is a quick and effective way to help you relax. There are a number of ways to do this: blast loud music in your ears, move into another room, step outside, stand up, perform a few jumping Jacks, listen to a 5-minute ted talk, do a crossword, or smell something strong and pleasant.

Figuring out how to relax your mind quickly is personal – the same tools for relaxation don’t work for everyone. Experiment with a few of the suggestions above and observe what happens in your body as you do. The good news is that learning how to relax with these techniques is low cost, poses little risk, and can be practiced almost anywhere.