by Steven Asenas

Created on: March 06, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

"Geez, another bad day at the office"; we've all had these thoughts. Demanding bosses, nagging customers, and a paycheck that never seems to be enough can all conspire to stress us out. Getting home, all you want to do is relax in front of the TV or computer, shower, sleep, and hope that tomorrow will be a better day than this one. Are these bad days becoming more frequent? They will be if you don't do anything to change your situation. But first, what is "stress"?

Stress is how we react to change in our lives and as such we can either have not enough, just right, and too much. Most of us suffer from too much stress, also known as "distress". Our bodies start releasing a hormone called Cortisol which some nutritionist point to as a source of weight-gain. Indeed, stress affects us physically, mentally, and socially. Here is a list of easy ways to let out the stress and feel better about ourselves:

1. Start by being thankful. Thankful for what you have, and grateful for the bad things that haven't happened to you. You will be amazed at what a slight but powerful 180 this change of attitude will do for your outlook on life.

2. Get more sleep. Sleep is so important, yet so many feel they can do without it. Even if you can only slip in a 30 minute power nap during your lunch hour, chances are that you'll feel better and more refreshed afterwards than any caffeinated beverage ever could. While coffee and energy drinks are great for the occasional boost of energy, no amount of caffeine can replace the benefits of a good night sleep. If you are only getting 5-6 hours (or less) of sleep, make the time to get more. Cut out a lot of your caffeine or alcohol usage to get a truly restful sleep.

3. Drink more water and eat healthy. There are many detox plans and remedies, but I tell you that the best way to detoxify yourself is to drink plenty of water, 64oz a day. What you are doing is giving your kidneys and your liver the water it needs to filter impurities out of your body. You will probably also loose a lot of water weight after a week or so, and who wouldn't like to lose an easy 5-10 lbs? Try to balance your diet with unprocessed grains, vegetables, fruits, and modest amounts of dairy, and meats. Get creative in finding ways to incorporate more vegetables in your diet. Cheese on broccoli always works for me, as does stir fried vegetables with meat.

4. Exercise. Duh, after reading the last 2 tips of course I was going to tell you to exercise. Create a regimen that challenges

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