Eating slowly. Enjoy every bite. What I like to do is add another step: after each bite, take a sip of cold water to clear your palate, then take another bite.
If you are like me (avoiding the cerebral) then this type of meditation is more effective: focus on a thing, not the process, evaluation or critique of it. I also smoke, and this works if I focus on each puff. I also just got new shoes with orthopedics, and during work I focus on how comfortable my feet are for a few seconds at a time.
Geek checking in, I like to play computer games to blow off steam.
Sexual relief, whether with a partner or, if that’s not an option, simply bashing one out usually helps.
I gave up stress years ago, it just seemed counterproductive.
It depends on what caused the stress. Sometimes I need time by myself, sometimes a brisk walk, sometimes a workout with gym machines, and sometimes a movie with lots of big explosions.
Once I was in a meditation/relaxation class and the teacher said to picture a room, gave us a description, and then said to make the walls blue, dark but not as dark as navy. I raised my hand. “Yes?” “Does it have to be blue? I don’t find blue relaxing.” Apparently he’d never thought there could be people in this world who don’t find blue relaxing, but I wasn’t the only one in the class. That particular session didn’t work very well for me, because the descriptions were too detailed; he kept describing things he found relaxing but which I don’t.
Yeah, but it has to be the right kind of computer game. First-person shooters seem to increase stress. Damn hackers! On the other hand, Civ-type games and roguelikes seem to work wonders. Although you wonder where the time went afterward.
Big cup of coffee and long walk.
FPS work for me, so does playing ping pong. I like activities that completely absorb my mind so I don’t think of anything else.
Sometimes I relieve stress by improving my software.
Yes… yes, I am a geek.
And sex works well, too.
I also meditate regularly and can do visualization well enough that I can often script my own dreams.
So add lucid dreaming to that list.
And singing.
So, in summary, “Our chief weapon is surprise…surprise and fear…fear and surprise… Our two weapons are fear and surprise…and ruthless efficiency… Our three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency…and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope… Our four…no… Amongst our weapons… Amongst our weaponry…are such elements as fear, surprise… I’ll come in again.”
Oh yeah, I forgot posting inane stuff on SDMB.
Oh yes and I love Sims (2), just building mostly. I search everywhere online for custom mods, download them, build pretties then abandon them.
Take a walk.
Give myself permission to put my head in my hands until I calm down (I guess that’s my version of five deep breaths).
Try hard not to binge (see take walk, above).
Figure out how I can take action on what’s stressing me out. If I can’t do anything, clean.
Martial arts. And golf.
A lot of people get angry while playing golf. I think at a certain point, you have to learn to deal with, say, a really bad drive on its own terms, and be accepting of imperfection and that the whole world is not within your control.
Once you start to crack that code, golf becomes more fun, you get better at golf, and you learn how to apply the same lessons to everything else you do.
Sleeping - first priority unless I have already had my fill of sleep.
Exercise - running or swimming; strength training does not help me in that respect.
Occasionally: reading genre fiction (SF or fantasy) - but I am mostly off that nowadays.
If I am at loose ends for a whole day: figuring out and walking a day hike to have in reserve when it is my turn to lead one for my hiking group.
Cats.
Being with your pets has been scientifically proven to lower blood pressure. Or maybe slow your heart rate. Something calming, anyway.
If you don’t have a pet, find a friend who does and make excuses to come over. If you’re allergic to fur then, uh, see Rushgeekgirl’s post.
You know that feeling you get when you are totally absorbed in something - where time both slows down and passes before you know it - at the same time? Could be due to athletic activity (you’re in the zone) or knitting or…well, anything. That is the optimal state to relieve stress and improve your overall well-being after being stressed.
That is referred to in psychology circles as Flow(link to Wikipedia).
So, to answer the OP: I do stuff that gets me in a state of Flow. For me, that includes playing guitar, yoga, reading and a few other things.
But that isn’t really the point - the point is realizing that Flow is what you are after and then figuring out what works *specifically for you *to enter that state. Near as I can tell, all of the great answers in this thread so far represent each poster’s favorite channels to enter into a state of Flow.
The trick is to find yours.