Paperwork, the grind, time, it is all stress sometimes.

A little stress is good for us. It motivates and keeps us going. I am a strong believer that without a drizzle of stress most people would be lazy and never accomplish their goals. But a monsoon of stress is, to put it lightly, the pits.

To learn to overcome stress, we need to understand what it is. Stress is a psychological and physiological response to actions and events that upset our balance in some way. It is actually there to help us and to prepare the body for a "fight or flight" reaction. When stressful events happen, we can either: stick around and battle them or we can run away.

Whether helpful or not, stress is not fun and too much can be harmful to your health.

Signs of stress include: headaches, moodiness, fatigue, chest pains, tension, diarrhea, insomnia, anxiety, short tempered, memory loss, increase eating, decreased eating, decreased immune system, etc.

None of those symptoms sound fun! Learn to overcome your stress for a healthier, happier you.

1. Take a breath. Everyone needs alone time and that includes you. Even if you have to sit in the car before walking into the house after work, take 10 minutes to close your eyes and just breath. 10 minutes of "me" time has been shown to decrease stress. Even better, get involved in yoga. It will help you mentally and physically relax. The benefits of yoga are huge for health and lifestyle and I strongly recommend to everyone.

2. Go for a run or lift weights. Of course I am going to promote exercise. Exercise is one, if not the biggest natural stress reliever. Exercise helps get all that built up tension and energy out and makes your life seem a bit calmer. Benefits are best seen with regular exercise, so if you are not a regular gym-goer now become one tomorrow.

3. Put it off on other people. I know that sounds a little strange, but its ok to ask for help. If you have ten thousand things on your plate to do, ask for some help. I am sure someone close to you would love to do what they can to make you less stressed.

4. See the light of day. For me, I get stressed and uncomfortable being stuck in an office all day long. Just stepping outside during lunch or taking a quick walk around the block after dinner helps bring me back down. Walk out, take a deep breath, and do a big stretch reaching for the sky.

5. Stick to healthy foods. When stressed, many people have a tendency to reach for sugary, fat filled foods. Resists temptations and grab the yogurt instead. Indulging on ice cream and candy bars will have you more depressed, stressed out and feeling guilty.

6. Punch something. There is just something soothing about punching a pillow or a punching bag when I am stressed out. Sounds barbaric and manly, but it works. If you are a member of a gym then you probably have access to a punching bag. Take a few minutes to let go on it with some punches and kicks. Besides the stress relief you also get a kick ass workout. If you like it, see if your facility has a kick boxing class to enroll in.

7. Don't fight the urge to let it flow. Women have the natural tendency to hold emotions in until there is nothing left to do by have them boil over. This often means having a cry fest for no known reason. Its ok, do not feel embarrassed. A good cry can be cathartic. But keep in mind it is better to let emotions out when they hit so you do not have them build up in the first place. I always cry during movies even if they aren't very sad. But afterwords I feel fresh and charged.

These tips will help you battle your stress and learn to live life a bit more relaxed. No matter how bad something is, the next day will come and we have to keep going. It is how we deal with the throws and responsibilities that show how strong we really are.

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