Working out is an excellent way to relieve the anxiety and stress that everyone feels from time to time. Instead of downing a gallon of ice cream, or drinking your troubles away, head to the gym to clear your mind. If you have a friend that is a good listener, ask him to come along with you so you can have a chat while you workout.

One of the best exercises for relieving stress is hitting a heavy punching bag. Before you workout on the bag, tape your wrists and hands for protection. Use a pair of bag gloves or boxing gloves, but do not hit the bag without any gloves or you may damage your knuckles.

Stretch your arms for a few minutes and then approach the bag. Most bags are a bit harder at the bottom, so only hit the middle third of the bag or you may jam one of your wrists. You can take out your frustrations by hitting the bag for as long as you like, however it is a good idea to rest between surges of anger. For example, hit the bag for three minutes, then rest for another three minutes. Once you relieve some of your stress, get some water and take a break.

Weightlifting is not only a good way to relieve anxiety and stress, it is good for your health and self-esteem. Even though you may not be in the best of moods, you must still use caution when you lift weights. So make sure that you do not over do it. Perform a variety of upper and lower body exercises, such as bench presses, dumbbell curls and leg curls to help improve your mood. Once you start to tire, call it a day and head home for some rest.

Few exercises relieve stress like cardio, so hit the road for a quick run or use a stationary bike instead. If you are out on the road by yourself, make sure your heavy thoughts do not interfere with your awareness of such obstacles as vehicles, potholes or stray animals. Run hard for a few minutes, then jog or walk awhile to let your heart rate come down. Once you are feeling better, turn around and head home, and just walk part of the way if you are feeling a bit worn out.

If you are a member of a gym or health club, try to get into a competitive game of racquetball or basketball. While you do not want to take your anger out on an innocent bystander, you can still ratchet up your intensity by trying to win, and win big. Hustle all over the court during the games, and you should soon start to feel a little better. Make sure that you apologize for any overaggressive behavior, so you can get into another pick-up game when you need one.