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We are all cogs in the great machine of life. As with any machine, care must be taken to keep it from breaking down. When stressed, we need to stop and take stock of ourselves. Are our voices too loud? Is our breathing too shallow? Do our hearts beat too fast?

If we ignore stress we become vulnerable to infections, viruses or even more dangerous, the silent killers, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

No matter what time of day we choose to work on relieving stress, we have to consider the six senses. Yes, that's right, I said six. They are: Sight, Hearing, Touch, Taste, Smell and Quintessence.

Sight:
Colours impact our mood. When a bull sees red, it feels aggressive and excited. We're no different. When we look at relaxing colours, like greens, blues and earth tones, we relax, because these colours simulate the natural hues of the outdoors.

Hearing:
Music tames the savage beast. It's a maxim we've all heard, and applies just as well to humans. Good choices are classical music, soft jazz or new age music, but just about anything you like, will do the trick.

Nature sounds also negate stress. The sound of rain, running water, or the ocean will calm us. If you can't get outdoors to enjoy these sounds, many music stores feature nature recordings, either alone or combined with calming music.

Touch:
Touch is a fundamental building block of socio-emotional development. Young deprived of touch, become depressed and socially withdrawn, and can die of touch deprivation. Touch is a significant method to bring about relaxation. Hugging your children or pets is one way. Another way is to indulge in a sensual massage with your partner and let that take you where it may. If these options are unavailable, a trip to a spa provides de-stressing touch in the form of a facial or a deep massage.

Taste:
Spoiling your taste buds can also reduce stress. Alcoholic beverages have been shown to have certain health benefits, such as a glass of red wine cutting the risk of heart attack and high cholesterol, in what many refer to as The French Paradox.
Chocolate releases chemicals into the body that simulate the same responses to falling in love.

Smell:
The smell of baking cookies, a freshly mown lawn, or how the backyard smells after a thunderstorm, all soothe us. Holistic practitioners use aromatherapy to promote relaxation. Natural scents such as vanilla and lavender are proven to work immediately. Easy and inexpensive ways to reduce stress can be found in the form of scented candles, incense

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