The world is a stressful place, particularly after the last year-and-a-half. In fact, studies have shown that the pandemic has catapulted our stress levels to extremes. A survey from the American Psychological Association that measured stress levels on a scale of 1 to 10 compared the results from January 2021 to all previous years and revealed the highest stress levels of any other year of the survey. Of those stressed out respondents, 84 percent of adults said they experienced at least one emotion tied to prolonged stress, with the most common being anxiety at 47 percent, sadness at 44 percent, and anger at 39 percent.

It seems pretty obvious, but the experts agree that prolonged stress is bad for you. According to an interview on Healthline with Michael Young, M.D., service chief of The Retreat at Sheppard Pratt, a psychiatric hospital in Towson, MD, “Stress can negatively impact our immune system, cardiovascular health, and worsen the experience of chronic pain and other medical conditions.”

Bottom line? It’s time for us all to find some calm in our lives. Here are a few tips to help you achieve some Zen:

• Breathe Deep: Taking a moment to breathe deeply is an immediate way to find calm. A great approach is the 4-7-8 technique. Breathe in for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds.
• Take Note Of Your Body: Unclench your jaw, and lower your shoulders—it’s amazing how they tend to always be tense. Also, try out the technique of tensing a muscle and releasing it. Do that with all of the muscles in your body, starting with your face and ending with your toes. This conscious approach will allow you to relieve stress.
• Keep a Journal: When you are feeling stressed, pull out a journal and write down your thoughts (or add it to your iPhones notes if that is easier). Sometimes just putting your stressful thoughts on paper allows you to release them from your mind.
• Make a Gratitude List: One of the best ways to lower stress is to remember the good things in your life. When you are feeling bad, jot down a few things for which you are grateful, and watch your attitude shift.
• Visualize Your Happy Place: If you are feeling overwhelmed by stress, close your eyes and remembers a happy time or place in your life. Use it as a way to momentarily escape when stress is becoming unmanageable.
• Connect with Nature: There is nothing more healing than Mother Nature. During times of stress, get out into nature, and allow yourself to relax. It’s even be proven that simply staring at images of nature can bring you a sense of calm, so if you can't get outside, Google a serene spot and take a break.

Another excellent way to relax is by tapping into natural ingredients that induce serenity, like those found in KOOL for Men’s Calm + wellness patches. Made with Valerian offiicinalis, Humulus lupulus, and Passiflora incarnatia, these soothing patches encourage relaxation, calm, and balance, helping you manage stress and anxiety and encouraging a good night’s sleep.

You’ll also sleep better known that you are incorporating clean, healthy, safe ingredients into your wellness regime. Our patches are vegan, gluten-free, and made with natural ingredients. They are made in the USA in collaboration with a leading doctor and nutritionist. They are not tested on animals, are free of latex, and are manufactured in GMP-certified, FDA-registered facilities.

 Ready to calm down? End your day with a Calm+ patch. Each patch lasts for a full 24 hours, releasing ingredients throughout the day and giving you the support you need all day and night.