by Jennifer Johnson

Created on: July 25, 2009   Last Updated: July 26, 2009

"The perfect no-stress environment is the grave." - Greg Anderson, The 22 Non-Negotiable Laws of Wellness

Let's face it, stress is a fact of life. Cellphones, email, texting, 24-hour new channels, rush-hour traffic jams, long workweeks, short vacations, soccer practice, school plays, church activities...there's constantly something or someone vying for our attention and this can produce stress.

Some stress can be beneficial; it can help us become more focused and take action to improve ourselves or our situation. However, too much stress over time can have negative consequences on our physical and mental health, making us more susceptible to illnesses or disease - or making any symptoms we already have worse.

Since entirely eliminating stress isn't an option, we need to learn to better ways to handle stress.

Let's look at some easy ways to reduce stress:

STAY POSITIVE

Yes, it's cliched to say, "think positive", but how you view events in your life can have the effect of increasing or decreasing your stress level. A common theme in many self-help books is that you'll find what you look for. If you expect bad things to happen to you, you'll frame your experiences in a negative way - even if it's something that was neutral, you'll tend to search out the negative to more or less "confirm" your view of how the world works. Try looking for positive aspects of the things that happen in your life.

Learn to set goals and be more assertive. Begin to view yourself more as the architect of your life rather than a victim of 'fate' or circumstance. Take some action today - even if it's a small one - to improve your life.

Try to break free of the pattern of dwelling on the negative.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORT

Your family, friends, and acquaintances can be a great source of stress relief.

We all need someone who will listen to us and allow us to express ourselves without being judgmental or critical. Sometimes just talking about a problem eases the stress associated with it immensely.

Get involved with your church, community, or any other group of like-minded individuals who will support you and who you can relax and just have fun with.

EAT WELL/REST/EXERCISE

We all know there are foods that can contribute to increasing our overall health and foods that can be destructive to our health. If you're feeling stressed, you may make more bad food choices. 'Comfort foods', sugar, fast food...these all may provide temporary 'relief', but in the long run, they can

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