Why be stressed when you don't have to? We all feel stressed from time to time, but the important thing is to know how to manage stress in a healthy manner to minimize its impact. Here are 7 quick, effective, and simple stress management tips:

Take breaks– It's easy to start feeling stressed in the endless daily grind. Take some time off from the activities that cause you stress and do something completely unrelated. For example, if you are feeling stressed at work, take a short walk outside during your lunch break or after work. Much of our daily stress is built up from focusing on our stress triggers at work, home, or anywhere else. So by taking a break, we shift our mind's focus onto something different, and hopefully more pleasant, which helps calm us down.

Change your perspective– Quite often, we blow things out of proportion. This is one of the main causes of stress. The first thing you should ask yourself when feeling stressed is whether the situation really is that bad or maybe you're just overreacting? What's the worst that can happen in the scenario you are stressing about, and is it really worth stressing about it? Putting things back into perspective is a very simple and powerful stress management technique because it can significantly minimize or even remove the stress altogether.

Exercise– Take some time during the day to perform basic stretching, aerobic, or any other physical exercise. It doesn't need to be strenuous. A simple walk may suffice. Exercising gets your blood flowing and releases relaxation-inducing chemicals into your brain.

Breathe deep– When feeling stressed, start breathing in and out as deeply as you can. This is one of the best instant stress management and stress relief techniques. You will know that you are breathing deeply when you feel your stomach rising and falling with each inhalation and exhalation respectively. Deep breathing allows your lungs to receive more oxygen than normal "shallow" breathing and serves as a natural relaxation booster and stress reliever.

Get enough sleep– It may sound simple and clichéd, but if you don't get enough sleep, you will most likely feel more stressed during the day than you would have otherwise. Most experts agree that an adult human should get 6-8 hours of sleep each night, with closer to-8 being the better option. Both your body and mind will feel more relaxed after a good night's sleep.

Listen to relaxing music– Music can have a very soothing and positive effect on our emotions, and you can use this fact to your advantage in your overall stress management approach. You can pick any type of music that relaxes you, but the rule of thumb is that it should probably be relatively slow, quiet, and uplifting. Some examples of this type of music are the meditation, atmospheric, and ambient genres.

Share– Don't let the stress boil down on the inside. Share your feelings with someone close to you. Often, this alone will make you feel more relaxed, less stressed, and a whole lot better.

There are many more ways to manage stress, but the above tips are an excellent foundation that should help you reduce the stress in your life, and by doing that, to hopefully improve your life altogether.