10 tips for reducing everyday stress

I think pretty much all people would say they experience stress on a daily, if not practically constant, basis. Whether it's work related, health or family issues, or even just wondering whether that credit card bill you mailed will make it before the deadline, our society has turned stress into a chronic everyday event.

Bad news -- stress can kill! That sounds like a terrible overstatement, but it's true if you think about it. Stress has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, insomnia ... and the list goes on.

Good news -- there are ways to combat stress and bring it down to manageable levels. Here are a few of my favorites, from an article I found on 10 tips for stress management:

• Identify your triggers: This one makes sense to me, it's the whole "knowing is the first step" principle in action.
• Aromatherapy: I think smell really can relax you. I feel instantly better when I walk into my apartment after a long day at work and smell the new air freshener I forgot I'd replaced that morning. It's those little things that can really help, even if it is just a little "apples and cinnamon" floating from the kitchen.
• Aerobic exercise: For me it's not so much during the workout, but immediately afterwards. I feel much better, and it's almost like once I've worked out I've got full permission to relax, guilt-free, the rest of the day.