You already know that stress can be damaging to your heart and other parts of your health.  But you may be wondering what you can do about it.  Sometimes life throws so many responsibilities at you that you feel like you’re drowning in a sea of stress.

 But you don’t have to live your life in a constant state of anxiety.  The first thing to do is to look at what is causing your stress.  Is there anything there that can be eliminated?  For example, is there a work responsibility you can delegate to someone else?

Can you limit the number of after school activities your kids are involved in?  Sometimes just slowing down will bring automatic relief. Once you’ve rid yourself of as many stressors as you can, you need to take a look at what’s left.

You may want to learn time management skills to help you learn to get more done in less time.  You can often take workshops or find books that give common sense guidelines for managing time.

Making sure that you’re taking care of your physical needs for food, exercise, and sleep are also critical in managing stress. If you’re out of fuel and your body is breaking down, you’re more likely to feel fatigued and anxious from stress.

Keeping healthy snacks on hand at all times is one way to fight fatigue.  You can also take a quick ten-minute walk each day to reduce your stress levels and refresh your energy.

Pets can often provide comfort during times of stress.  You may want to consider adding a furry friend to your family to help out.  Studies have shown that pets can help lower blood pressure and relax the body.

When things are really tough, you may need to take a time-out.  Just taking a few minutes to breathe slowly and close your eyes can help you to refocus your energy.  When you feel like you’re about to have a meltdown, taking a breather can be very helpful.  When you go back to your problem, you’ll be able to look at it from a different angle.

Whenever possible, removing a situation that’s causing a great deal of stress can be very helpful.  But most of us don’t have the luxury of quitting our jobs and taking a yacht around the world to relax.

Still, you can take mini-breaks and learn to say no a little more often.  When you learn to manage your daily stress, you greatly reduce your risk of heart disease and other health problems.