Lifestyle changes that help eliminate stress; Turning a negative into a positive.

To live the human experience on this earth, we all must deal with stress. It is virtually impossible to "eliminate" stress because, in so many instances, it comes in the form of uncontrollable outside factors; a unexpected death of a friend or loved one, an unforeseen diagnosis of an illness, an unwanted change in one's job ... the list goes on. But we can get better at dealing with stress and even turning the negative experiences into positive ones with a little practice and successful routines.

As an emergency room nurse, I have the world's best and worst job related to stress. The ER may seem like the most high stress environment, where tragedies of life and death play out on a daily basis. On the other hand, seeing these life and death scenarios on a consistent basis gives me a "don't sweat the small stuff" perspective that comes from witnessing firsthand what "small" and "big" crises really are.

Arming yourself to handle the inevitable stresses starts with your physical being. You cannot think clearly, handle changes and make good decisions without ample sleep. People differ, but eight hours or more of sleep is a good goal. Even if you are a "night owl" and find yourself up very late, at least get into the bed and watch TV or read - put yourself in a conducive environment that will allow you to fall asleep. Drink plenty of water, try to eat a balanced diet and avoid eating or drinking too much especially right before bedtime. Get into a routine of sleep that feels normal and gets you more consistent rest. Getting enough sleep and eating a balanced diet will give you the energy to participate in regular exercise. Run, swim, play tennis ... something that raises your heart rate and gives you a workout. The "feel good" chemicals that are released into your body after exercise help bring a sense of health and wellbeing and combat the stress hormones that are released when we endure a lot of tension.

Conquering the psychological aspect of dealing with stress is more difficult. How do you deal with it in your mind? One important factor is to accept that stress is a part of daily life. This creates more of a feeling that what you are going through is normal rather than pathological. Also, the more that you accept stress as an expected factor in life, the better you get at dealing with it consistently and every new stress is met with a more positive state of mind. The

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