37 Ways to Defuse Stress

Calm down! You can't be that stressed. It's not healthy! If you're having trouble letting go of that little ball of stress, here are 37, yes Thirty Seven, things you can try from Reader's Digest. You're bound to find something that works. After all, who needs stress?

1. Embrace the number one truth about stress: Only you create it. Embracing the fact that stress is your reaction to external stimuli - and not the stimuli themselves - is half the battle toward managing it.

5. Use the otherwise stressful time of waiting in line as a chance to relax. As you wait, think about things in life for which you are grateful, meditate on your breath, talk to one of the other customers, or look at a magazine.

12. Don't take the bait. Happy, low-stress people choose not to get angry, even when the opportunity is dangled right in front of them.

32. Carry a small notebook with you everywhere. This is your “worry” journal. When you feel stressed, whip it out and scribble down everything on your mind at that minute. Close the journal. Close your eyes. Take 10 deep breaths. Now open the journal and read what you've written. You'll find your worries are not nearly as stressful as you thought now that you've gotten them out of your head and onto the page.

Defuse Stress for a More Enjoyable Day - [ReadersDigest]