Learning healthy ways to cope with stress can have positive impacts on your life.

Stress can take a toll both on our mental health and our physical health.

It’s important to get a good night’s sleep and then focus on prioritizing healthy lifestyle choices throughout the day. When it comes to managing any unavoidable stress, guided meditation and breathing exercises can help. These tactics allow us to focus on the present rather than worry about the past or future.

Another effective tool to manage stress is using positive affirmations through journaling. Writing down what you’re grateful for or your accomplishments each day can take your mind off the negatives.

“Positive affirmations are really important because, frankly, we’re very good at speaking, kind of, unkindly to ourselves,” said Dr. Adam Borland, of the Cleveland Clinic. It’s important that we recognize our accomplishments, we recognize the hard work that we’re putting forth, even if we’re not perfect.”

Staying social and tapping into your support system when needed can also improve your overall mood, Borland said.

However, seeing a mental health professional can help if stress starts to severely impact your day-to-day life.