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Stress. The word alone can increase my heart rate. If you've been feeling it lately you know what I'm talking about. The panic, the worry, the all-you-want-to-do is go-to-sleep feeling that is a response to situations beyond our control.

In modern times, mentally focused modern times, stress builds up with hardly any place to go. We use our bodies less and take on too many responsibilities. So many of us leave our homes with no effective tools for fighting the anxiety that our day to day lives leave us.

Stress isn't a good feeling in small doses but when it starts to pile up you're in big trouble. Stress can make you sick, grumpy, irrational and unhappy. Finding ways to reduce it will be beneficial to your health.

Ways to Reduce Stress:

EXERCISE. Because most of us sit behind desks, at computers, and in front of the television for a great deal of our day we've got to get some more use out of our bodies. Everyone has their own preferences as far as exercise is concerned. There are those that like a light workout and those who would much rather reach the point of exhaustion as quickly as possible. No matter what type you prefer I recommend something playful. Something that makes you laugh while you do it. A game of tag, a game of racquetball, jumping rope, etc. Think games that you actually -play- versus a routine that you just want to get over with.

If you're worried about your level of fitness, don't. You've already got enough on your plate. Just pick something small and work your way up. Exercise impacts everyone differently. The importance is to increase your heart rate through physical activity, rather than anxiety.

The best time to use exercise to eliminate stress is in the morning. When you exercise in the morning you leave yourself with a lingering good feeling throughout the day. You also have less of an excuse to skip a session.

THINK. Set aside time to dissect the things that are bothering you. Sometimes stress builds up into an unnamed monster in the back of your brain. If you label the causes, come up with solutions (or even just laugh at the worst case scenario) than you're half way to beating the bad guy.

I recommend keeping a stress journal, or just peppering your regular journal with your worries. Somehow as soon as you get that monster onto paper it doesn't have the same power. If you're worried about things beyond your control you need to remember that there is nothing you have to do. If you're worried about things within your control you can take

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