13 ways to destress in 5 minutes or less

The other day, after a particularly stressful morning, I got into my car and suddenly took stock of myself. My heart was racing, I was breathing quickly, and my head was pounding. "That's it," I thought to myself, "You need to take five minutes and get yourself together. This isn't healthy."

Stress can be hard to avoid sometimes, but chronic stress can affect not only your mental and emotional health, but your physical health as well. CNN (via Parenting.com) has 13 ways to destress in five minutes or less. These are great little activities that you can do during a stolen moment to try to recenter yourself and remember what's important. My favorites include:

• Jump rope -- it releases those endorphins that make you feel so good.
• Say your ABCs backward to take your mind of what's stressing you out.
• Play some music; studies say it's a proven mood-booster.
• Get some sunlight to give yourself a serotonin boost.

Stress in unavoidable, but with these tips and the others you can turn your mood around before that stress pulls you under.