5 Ways You Can Celebrate ‘National Stress Awareness Day’ [LIST]

Today is "National Stress Awareness Day," and this is one special occasion we all need to observe. Here are five tips to help you celebrate this very special day.

First things first: take a moment to watch the video above. "Prince Ea" really is pretty sharp, and he delivers a very motivational schpiel. Now, let's take a look at things we can do to improve our quality of life by purging all that unnecessary stress.

"National Stress Awareness Day" was first observed in 1992, established by Health Resource Network. Why does it fall on April 16, you ask? Could it possibly have something to do with the fact the most notorious day of the year, April 15, tax day, is finally over?

Everyone has been through a lot in the first three and a half months of the year. Why not make the pledge to de-stress? This doesn't have to be a drag, either. These aren't a bunch of tedious "self-help" exercises. Some of these are fun. Here are five things suggested by Health.com you can do to celebrate "National Stress Awareness Day."

• Eat Chocolate - According to WebMD.com, researchers find that eating a typical dark chocolate bar, let's say 1.4 ounces, once a day for two weeks, reduces levels of cortisol.
• Say No - According to Justsayno.com, a great way to reduce stress is to learn to "just say no."
• Give Back - Healthreviser.com suggests that shifting your focus to something else, like volunteering, is a great way to reduce stress.
• Take Yoga - Yes, it's an obvious one, but it does apply. According to About.com, Yoga can reduce cortisol, improve sleep, and reduce blood pressure.
• Breathe - Inhale, and then.... exhale. It works like a charm.

There you have it, five very effective, and with the exception of the chocolate bar, free techniques to help you deal with stress. None of these requires a prescription, doctor visit, or psychologist.

Let's get those stress levels down, way down! We have a great year ahead of us. Life will still deal us hard times and tough choices, but... let's breathe. Have a very happy "National Stress Awareness Day."