Article: When things are getting too tense at work, just close your eyes for a minute or two and remember your favorite vacation spot. Try to recreate the smells, the sounds, and the tastes that made the place so special to you. Whenever you're feeling overwhelmed, just return to that place. Having a memento from your favorite spot on your desk can also make it easier for you to remember it. And if you can find it in your budget to return to your favorite spot from time to time, you will be living a more relaxed life during and after work. Maybe you feel stressed at work because you feel like you're in your own little bubble and have no one to talk to during the day. Though you don't have to become best friends with your coworkers, just getting to know them over a quick lunch or a break in the coffee room can help you feel like you have people who are in the same boat and can understand your struggles.  Being friendly and smiling more will not only help you make friends, but it will help your body naturally feel more calm. Getting to know your coworkers will also make you more likely to laugh, which is another stress-relieving activity. If you get close to one of your coworkers, you can open up a bit about how stressed you're feeling, and you'll feel less alone when talking about your feelings. When you're feeling so impossibly overwhelmed -- like you'll never get all of your work done, like you're about to get fired, or like nothing you do can ever be enough, sit back, take a deep breath, and tell yourself to get some perspective. Though work can feel all-consuming, at the end of the day, a job is a job, not a life-and-death matter -- unless you have a job where lives are at stake, of course.  Remind yourself of all of the other things that make you happy and relaxed, from your friends and family to your favorite hobbies or pets. Though "It's not the end of the world" is an overused phrase, telling yourself that you may be overreacting to stressful situations at work can help you remember your priorities. Meditating right at your desk or on the floor for just twenty minutes a day can help you feel more relaxed and in control of your days. To mediate, just find a comfortable seat in a quiet place and rest your hands on your lap, straighten your posture, and focus on relaxing your body one part at a time.  Close your eyes and take in all of the sounds and sensations as you breathe in and out. You can also meditate right before work to make for a less stressful day in the workplace. Though you may be married to your computer, you should take breaks to write down a few things, from your daily to-do list to some information you received over the phone. Writing down some words -- even if they aren't essential to your job -- can give your mind a break from the computer screen and can refocus your energies and make you feel less overwhelmed. Studies show that reading for just six minutes a day can help calm your mind and reduce your levels of stress. Though you most likely won't be able to read an entire novel during a day at work, taking breaks to read just ten or so pages a day can help calm your mind and make you feel more ready to approach your daily tasks. You can even start a book club with your coworkers to make work more enjoyable and to motivate yourself to read more. Another way to soothe your mind in the workplace is to make sure that you aren't overwhelmed by all the work that you have to do. You can try to manage your workload by delegating some of your tasks to others, asking for more help on projects, or even by cutting back on some of the work you said you'd take on. You may be feeling stressed because you're not as productive as you could be during the first few hours of work and have to rush to get everything done by quitting time -- to avoid this, create a daily schedule that ensures that you'll get everything done before it's time to leave. If you make your work experience more enjoyable, you'll be more excited to come in to work, to spend the day there, and to return the next day. Though you may feel it's impossible to make your job fun, you can make your work more enjoyable by bringing in treats for your coworkers, treating yourself to a nice lunch once a week, or just by rewarding yourself with a juicy romance novel or delicious cookie for getting some work done. If your thoughts about your workplace are more positive, you'll be much more excited to be there and won't look at work as purely a place of stress. Though you may feel that going to lunch will only waste your time and keep you from accomplishing necessary tasks, you'll actually feel happier and less stressed if you go to lunch, as well as more focused and productive. Lunch provides the perfect mid-day break to help you get a rest from all of your hard work and to gear up for working until the evening. Even if you're by yourself, you shouldn't bring your food to your desk, or you won't feel like you're taking a break at all when you eat. Even if you just sit outside for twenty minutes to enjoy a salad, your mind will be relaxing. Create a mix of the songs that make you feel the most at peace, whether it's your favorite Enya CD or the music of Mozart or Beethoven. Play these songs on your headphones or quietly at your desk if you don't disturb anyone. This can make you feel more at peace, and less overwhelmed by all of the tasks ahead.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Picture your favorite vacation. Make friends with your coworkers. Get some perspective. Meditate. Write things down. Read a book. Manage your workload. Make work more fun. Go to lunch. Play calming music.