Ways to Fight Stress

Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Skipping breakfast causes your metabolism to slow, which can zap your energy, give you headaches, and make for moodiness and irritability, says Keri Glassman, a New York City-based registered dietitian.

Laugh
Read comics, rent a funny movie, go to the circus! A hearty belly laugh decreases stress hormones in the bloodstream, relaxes muscles and, let's face it, feels good all over.

Cry
Hey, assuming you're not running for president, go ahead and sob. Research shows women cry up to four times more often than men, and when they cry, they cry harder. According to William H. Frey III, PhD, author of Crying: The Mystery of Tears, our waterworks may have evolved to remove chemicals, possibly stress hormones prolactin and ACTH, that build up during stress.

Put Fun on Your To-Do List
Write down everything you think you need to do for the next month. Work, errands, chores -- everything. Then remove 5 percent of the items. You'll drop tasks that aren't truly critical and gain valuable free time to spend on something fun for yourself.

Eat More Fibre
Find it in legumes, nuts, vegetables, whole grains, and fruit. Fibre keeps your digestive tract happy (less stress on your body) and helps absorb toxins and bacteria. It also stabilizes blood sugar levels, ameliorating mood swings.

Set Your GPS to Local Roads
Studies have shown that driving in traffic is (surprise!) stressful. Simple solution? Allow yourself more time to get from point A to point B and take the route less traveled.

Start a Stress Journal
Step 1: Write down what caused your stress (a cranky boss, dawdling kids, an ill parent), how that stress made you feel (both physically and emotionally), and what your response was (eating a bag of chips, yelling at your spouse, getting a headache). Writing can help you distance yourself emotionally. Step 2: Use the journal to scan for stress trends (so you can try to avoid them) and find healthy alternatives to dealing with the stresses, such as splitting kid duty with your spouse.

Love Lavender
Spritz a tissue with the scent and slip it into your pillowcase. The sweet aroma makes you feel calmer and helps you snooze better.

Check Your Meds
Some drugs can affect mood and some, when combined, can induce feelings of stress and anxiety. Ask a trained professional to take a look at all the medications you take within a month (prescription and over-the-counter) and make sure you're not mixing yourself an anxiety-provoking drug cocktail, says Dr. Binks.

Eat Oatmeal
Oatmeal helps your body release serotonin stores in your brain (too little of this neurotransmitter may lead to depression). Nutritionist Keri Glassman recommends eating a bowl of oatmeal no later than an hour before going to bed to alleviate stress and help you relax.

Ditch Toxic People
Everybody has that person in her life that only makes everything more stressful. You can't always duck him or her entirely -- sometimes you're related -- but you can limit your exposure. And when you do have to be together, set a specific time period and include others so that you don't have to handle this person by yourself.

Say No to Negative Talk
Negative talk is the verbal banter of our inner critic. Put a cork in it. How? When the negative voice tells you, "I'm overwhelmed," respond with positive talk: "I can cope by breaking this project into smaller tasks," for example, says Dr. Binks.

Adore Almonds
It's possible, just possible, that almonds are a perfect food. They're loaded with immune-boosting zinc and heart-healthy vitamin E. And they help stress because you really have to chew almonds...in a get-the-aggression-out sort of way. Chewing itself seems to be a stress reliever, according to research that found that gum chewers were calmer and more relaxed than non-chewers. Another plus: Ten dry-roasted almonds have only 77 calories.

Deep Breathe
When under stress we tend to take quick, shallow breaths. Deep breathing slows the stress response by getting more energizing oxygen to your body. Take 10- to 15-minute "breathing breaks" throughout the day, suggests Frank Lipman, MD, an integrative physician in New York City who combines Western and alternative therapies. Find a quiet space and be conscious of your breath going in and out. Think about your belly rising and falling with each breath. Relax.

Hydrate
Dehydration is a common cause of fatigue, which is a common cause of stress. Caffeine and dry air (in offices and apartments) contribute to dehydration, and women over 40 are especially prone. So drink plenty of water!

Stretch
We hold tension in the soft tissues of our body's muscles. When soft tissue gets tight, it squeezes nerves and blood vessels, creating poor circulation and pain. Spending a day trapped behind the wheel or at a desk makes things worse -- humans were built to move, not sit. Fifteen minutes of gentle stretching at the end of each day can be enough to restore flexibility and mobility.

Plan a Real Vacation
A long weekend or more away is a great stress buster, of course, but even planning one can relax you, says Jo Barrett Grellong, LCSW, a clinical social worker in New York City.