A couple of things that calm you right down during high stress would be..?

I seldom get that stressed anymore. When I was younger, running would take care of it.

silence

Yoga is great. Fencing (swords, not stolen goods) is also good for stress relief. An hour in the gym also does the trick. I also make a habit of taking a nice walk during lunch as long as the weather permits.

Music. Listening to it, but mostly playing my violin helps me relieve stress. I don’t know why, but it helps me relax.

Lists…

I make a list of my problems. Then I branch them off with solution’s to the problems. Now I can pick the solution that hurts the least.

I barely ever get stressed. I have been homeless a few times. I can do it again.

I read. I get lost in a book and for the entire time I’m reading, I forget anything going on around me.

Talking to my boyfriend usually does the trick.

I have a couple of pictures of lakes and mountians that help, or some artwork that I get really close to and study. I don’t know why but I can get lost in a picture.

Alex and venting to Hamad, my best friend.

I was going to say weed and I’m too high to think of anything else.

nah, just kidding. Death metal and tragic love stories. And then some more tragic love stories and staying up all night and getting as close to becoming gothic as I can before I can’t come back anymore. It’s an adrenaline high.

I stop and concentrate on my yogic breathing.
I have ear seeds, which I press when I’m feeling anxious.
If there’s anything I can do to resolve the situation causing the stress, then I channel the resultant adrenaline surge to really focus on doing that.

The above and about 4 bottles of light beer a week work well for me.

Juggling. I think it hits me the same way yoga gets most. It just forces you to focus 100% on a single thing.

I’m with @CaptainHarley

Maturity tends to mellow one, you learn that there is really nothing that you can’t handle.
You learn to deal with a situation as it unfolds and not create mind stories with assumptive negative conclusions.

For those occasions I feel tense I head to my hot tub with a glass of wine or sit in the sun in nature and meditate. ;-)

@Coloma the alternative explanation is that maturity simply brings you closer to having a hot tub and good wine…

@crazyivan

lol…true, but hey, we all hang in precarious balance, here today, gone tomorrow, and that includes wine and hot tubs. ;-)

Xanax… Works like a charm!

A long walk with my dogs, then relaxing on the sofa with my SO by my side

Well you ruled out the only things I’ve found to 100% calm my nerves, so the next option for me would be latte, chocolate, and sleep! Another HUGE destressor for me is shopping for things I like to shop for… so not groceries or clothing… hobby shopping (paints, brushes, yarn, etc), home decor, organization materials. Speaking of organization materials, another AMAZING destressor, is cleaning. Wierd I know but if your home/desk/room/purse etc are cluttered, cleaning will cause the stress associated with chaos to disappear!

Cuddling my son
(Red wine)
Dozey sleeping
Having a good grunt or scream (I’ve been known to go into the woods!)
More cuddling my son
Lying on the floor
Breathing
Cleaning
definitely not necessarily in that order..apart from the first

Exercise, mostly walking or cycling and simple nature. Definitely no drugs, I think they make things worse in the long term.

Chocolate and a cigarette. And if I’m stressed due to someone else’s screwup, then I need to rant to get it all out… then eat chocolate and smoke a cigarette.

And if it’s bad enough, smoke some chocolate and eat a cigarette.

@crazyivan Ha, now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! :P

Running, cooking, especially chopping/slicing vegetables.

Being hugged or a good meal.

Realizing that I am a genius and, therefore, above such bullshit.

boxing.
running.
writing.
music.

@boxer3 And when it gets really bad you can write about chasing somebody down and kicking their ass while listening to music.

@crazyivan , haha probably pretty necessary.