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One of the best ways to get rid of stress is to relax all the muscles. Lie down and relax every limb, as if they are lifeless.

I've found yoga helps a lot. I was surprised it had such a strong effect, but i guess we hold a lot of our stress in our bodies, and our spine in particular. Yoga helps us to gently stretch our bodies and to breath slowly and deeply. It's wonderful!

most of our stress is stored in our jaws. Keep your mouth open and loosen the jaws. Watch the difference.

Yes, Das, good point. In fact, it's recommended that at least six times a day, you breathe in deeply, hold, breathe out deeply. Do this three times, and smile whilst doing so. After a while, this habit releases endorphins in the brain, and aids relaxation and de-stressing.
Shoulders too, are usually hunched, raised or stressed. Hunch them up tight, then drop them suddenly, and relax the back (keeping it straight though....) also very good....

(but watch for flies.... )

I agree deep breathing is great. Also, if you practice meditation, you can use the ability to clear your mind at any time during the day when you get stressed. Meditation teaches to focus on the now and give your mind a rest, which is much needed when you are under stress.

A nice walk is also good.

Of course, the best and most efficient way of dealing with stress is to 'find out what ails thee' in the first place.... all these little remedies are all well and good, but if the dog is still biting you, it's advisable to find a way to stop it....

My yoga instructor often reminded us to keep our tongue off the roof of our mouths. I thought that strange at first, but i think it's similar to what das is saying... that when we are stressed, our mouth is tight and our tongue tends to be against the roof of our mouth. When we're more relaxed it is down, and our jaw more relaxed, too.

I teach qi Gong, a very passive Martial Art - like Tai Chi, but even calmer...

If you find a practise that relaxes your body, you can often eventually become more detached from your daily stresses, and the mind becomes more capable of dealing with the crappola more lucidly....

Yoga is great, i tried it, but it wasn't for me, in the end, though I would recommend it to anyone. but try the oriental passive martial arts too... all roads lead to Rome....

Deanne Ripich, who made an excellent program for reducing anxiety, often talked about how our thoughts affect our stress levels. Oh... there is another woman too... oh what is her name! Oh yes, Lucinda Bassett... anyay, she also did an anti-anxiety program and has written books about anxiety (one is called From Panic to Power and another Life Without Limits) and she described how she used to be terrified of flying... she used to imagine crashing all the time and she'd get shaky and nauseus. Anyway, she became engaged and her husband-to-be wished for them to honeymoon in Hawaii, which of course would require them to fly there. She kept working on her attitudes about it, but it was still difficult for her. She did it though because she didn't want to disappoint her husband. It was hard for her, but she did it. In Hawaii they give helecopter tours of the islands and great views, and her husband really wanted them to go, as many honeymooners do. She'd never been in a helecopter before. She said the pilot asked the 7 passengers if anyone had never been in a helecopter before, and she raised her hand. The pilot then made her sit in the co-pilot seat (there were only six passenger seats, so she didn't have the option of another chair), and at one point, he forced her to fly the helecopter! She had to switch her attitudes from being terrified to being excited about it. She said it was one of the most moving experiences of her life, and that she came off the helecopter telling her husband that she wanted to get her pilot's license.... and she did! Talk about conquering your fears!

It's hard to forget a story like that... and it's much better in her own words. It's in one of her books but i don't remember where. Anyway, what she was trying to teach her readers was that if when you are feeling anxious about something, if you describe your feelings as "i am excited" instead of "i am frightened" that a transformation takes place. And she and the other lady both say you have to watch your thoughts!!! Your thoughts will either build up your fears or dismantle them, so you've got to watch-guard how you think about things that make you feel stressed or anxious.