Make exercise a regular part of your week, it will provide a number of benefits besides reducing stress. These might include exercising, talking with a supportive person, listening to music, meditation, or watching a movie. The key is to find an activity that will help you relax that is not going to make the problem worse. For example, drinking alcohol or eating a gallon of ice cream may be a temporary fix, but in the end you feel worse about yourself and these activities do not alleviate stress, in fact they often make it worse. Maintain Regular Eating and Sleeping Habits Try to get 6-10 hours of sleep a night.
Lack of sleep tends to magnify the negative effects of stress.
Also, be sure you eat balanced meals at least 3 times a day and try to avoid caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. Once you identify these negative thought patterns learn to recognize when you are slipping into them and find ways to avoid these destructive thought patterns.