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Shop Guide: De-Stress Methods
Alternatives to Calm & Sooth

Summer is coming to a close, which means out of the sun and back to the office. For the fast-paced lifestyle of New Yorkers, this means logging in long days and operating on little to no sleep, making everyone easily irritable and highly stressed. And with Fashion Week rapidly approaching–- when models and others dressed-to-impress infiltrate the already crowded city-– many may not have time to sit back and relax.

For those in need of some methods to unwind, psychoPEDIA found some helpful products for in and out of the office to help de-stress while getting back to the grind:

Vibrating Optical Mouse ($20)
Most people spend too many stressful hours in front of an office computer screen. While some opt to relax by taking copious cigarette breaks, Laos offers a device you can use without ever stepping away from your cubicle. Although currently only compatible with Windows (sorry Mac users)—it boasts fully functional use as an optical mouse, as well as being able to sense when its user is highly stressed and provides a motorized vibration to lightly massage your palm and relieve tension.

Dreamerz Chocolate Pillows ($7.99 per Box)
Stress can often lead to restless nights and insomnia, which only adds to the vicious cycle of diminished energy and mental ability for the next day. And as sleeping aids, whether prescription or over the counter, can become addictive, finding a non-habit-forming way to calm ones nerves is key. Dreamerz Foods, a X-based company focused on providing people with better sleep, created their specially-formulated Chocolate Pillows–- a natural sleep aid delivered in a bite-size, before-bedtime snack. Derived from lactium and designed in the French Nutrition Laboratories, these chocolate pillows contain relaxing properties such as milk proteins to put you at ease. Offered in milk and dark chocolate and at only 50 calories, these Pillows are not only a guilt-free treat, but will help you wake up refueled and ready to go.

Natural Calm Raspberry Lemon Anti-Stress Drink ($25)
Staying hydrated is an invaluable element to being healthy and productive. Therefore, why not de-stress while you re-hydrate? Under daily pressure, your calcium levels increase, leaving your body depleted of magnesium, which is necessary to counteract stress. Heightened calcium can also cause muscle contraction and cramping, that leads to discomfort. Natural Calm’s Anti-Stress Drink works to rebalance these levels, restoring your body's magnesium supply, not only helpful in times of stress, but also replenishing the nutrient levels essential for good health.

Anti Stress Sinus Pillow ($10)
After a long day at work or pulling an all-nighter to meet a deadline, your eyes show the results by looking puffy and red. While cosmetic creams temporarily eliminate the surface effects, a natural alternative that also provides relief both mentally and physically is the Anti-Stress Sinus Eye Pillow, which contains a special blend of stress relieving aromatherapy ingredients and a comfortable ergonomical strap. It can be cooled in the freezer to soothe tired eyes and also relieve your tension headaches and sinus pressure by warming it in the microwave.

Reiki Destressing Treatments (TBD)
Reiki is an alternative, natural, and internationally recognized treatment used for stress relief, based on the belief that your body is made up of energy and that good and bad feelings can inhabit that energy. As bad energy can lead to stress and many other ailments, expert Reiki practitioners at the New York International Reiki Center can manipulate this negative energy to be expelled from your body during healing sessions, thus relieving you of tension. In addition to stress relief, the art of Reiki can diminish or improve existing conditions such as physical pain, mental angst, fatigue, allergies, and obsessive compulsions.