Chill Out With Let It Go Day

No matter how hard you try to keep your mental health balanced, stress has a way of creeping up on you. June 23 is Let It Go Day, and it offers the perfect opportunity for you to let go of anything that's been weighing you down.

Make a list

Before you can let go of the things that are holding you back, you need to identify what those things are. Set aside 20 minutes of your day to honestly assess the things that stress you out. Split your stressors into three categories: Things you can take care of relatively quickly (like errands to run, bills to pay, etc.), things you can control but that take more time (long-term projects) and things that you can't control (like pressure at work or school).

Get the little things out of the way

Once you've identified the little things that are stressing you out, take a few hours to take care of as many as you can. It's amazing how much stress relief can come from accomplishing a few small tasks. When you're done with the little things, make a simple plan to help you tackle your bigger projects. Creating an action plan for your bigger problems makes it much easier to let everything else go.

Take a breath and de-stress

Let It Go Day gives you the chance to take a deep breath and let your stress slide away. Schedule your favorite relaxing activity for the afternoon. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Bubble bath. Sometimes all you need to de-stress is a little 'you' time. Run a hot bubble bath, light a few candles and grab your favorite magazine for an hour or so of pure relaxation.
• Yoga or tai chi. Yoga and tai chi both combine breath work and physical motion that can help you relieve stress and feel more energized. In fact, any exercise can be a great stress reliever.
• Massage/facial. Treat yourself to something that you normally would avoid because of time or money constraints. Massages and facials are perfect examples, but any treat can be a stress reliever, from a new haircut to a scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Letting go of things that have been holding you back will probably take more effort than one afternoon of relaxation -- but that one afternoon is a good start. On Let It Go Day, try your best to take a deep breath and focus on the things that really matter. Most of the time, those little things that weigh us down the most are the things we should be paying the least attention to.