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fish, less red meat to help ease the heart. Complex carbohydrates, foods high in magnesium, B group vitamins, or vitamin C like leafy veggies, whole grain breads and pastas, bananas, broccoli, oranges and rose hips are all essential in combating the effects of stress. This, coupled with a steady 20-30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week, made a phenomenal difference in my health and outlook.

4. Stress-free time spent with loved ones: Laughing with my daughters at the local swimming hole, taking a walk through the woods with my husband, extra phone-time with my mother, and loads of hugs went a long way towards healing heart and soul. Even if it seems like a waste of time when you've a million responsibilities to attend to, take the time! If you can't stop long enough to enjoy the best things in your life... what are you working for?

5. Holidays: Giving myself time away, completely removed from the situation, did wonders for my mental, emotional, spiritual and physical well-being. Basically, my friends who lived further away took turns kidnapping me just to get me out of town and away from all that stress. Bless their hearts. I didn't have to go far, spend loads of money or even be gone very long either. Sometimes, even a lengthy uninterrupted soak in a fragrant bath was enough to wash away my cars for a little while.

6. Music: When nothing else could reach me, there was music. Whether it was something angry like Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff" or "Re-Arranged", Papa Roach's "Scars", something soothing like Godsmack's "Serenity", Greenday's "Jackass", HIM's "Funeral of Hearts", or even just some Mozart... I wouldn't be here to share my tale with you! "Music tames the savage breast" is all too true. I could crank up the volume and just loose myself in the music, sing my pain out with the lyrics. In fact, I took my husband to the 11th annual Ozzfest for his birthday this year just because I had found music to be such a comfort and emotional release throughout all of these ordeals. It did wonders for us both. We woke up the next day feeling 10 years younger...sore but 10 years younger.

7. Writing: When the stress first started to show signs of affecting me, suddenly it was extremely difficult to concentrate or remember. A common self-defense technique that your body will impose on you is forgetfulness, which, ironically, really only serves to cause more stress! So, I started keeping a journal again. I quickly found that the old release of simply writing about all that was

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