Stress Reduction: 5 Simple Tips

Stress is hard to avoid. From minor daily annoyances (traffic jams, missed school buses, spilled coffee) to major life events (such as the death of a loved one), stressful situations are all around us. "Stress itself isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's merely your body's reaction to its interaction with the environment," explains Robin Molella, M.D., a consultant in the division of preventive, occupational and aerospace medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Some things that cause the body to have that stress reaction are actually enjoyable things -- like riding your favorite roller coaster or watching an edge-of-your-seat thriller. That adrenaline rush is the body's physiological reaction to stress.

The trouble really comes in when we're in distress -- especially for long periods of time. In response to chronic stress, the body produces a variety of hormones (such as cortisol) that flood the system, raising blood pressure, speeding up the heart rate and priming the body to be ready for fight or flight. "But prolonged exposure to those hormones contributes to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, mood problems and unhealthy coping behaviors," says Molella.

The key to managing the negative effects that stress can have on the body is to figure out healthy ways to relieve stress on a daily basis. "There's no one-size-fits-all cure," says Molella. "Try several techniques until you find what works for you."