That's Fit

Try to find a person who doesn't enjoy a massage to relax. You'd be hard-pressed. Of all the stress-relieving techniques out there, massage is my absolute favorite.

Certainly, massage relieves muscle pain and soreness, but it appears to be most popular for stress relief. It's effectiveness is largely due to the fact that manipulating the muscles releases endorphins, the brain's natural opiates, which encourages a feeling of well being and confidence. Studies show massage can be helpful for various ailments. But when looking at the list, one can't help but notice many of the benefits involve the mind more than the body. Consider the following from a Mayo Clinic article:

When you think of cheese, do you you think happy thoughts? A strange question, I know, but I promise that the apparent oddness of my question will fade after hearing why I asked it.

Here's why: the Journal of Food Science reports that phenylethylamine (PEA) -- a chemical found in cheese (that also happens to be related to amphetamines) -- causes the release of mood-enhancing hormones.

While chocolate has long been considered to be among the top "happy foods," cheese, especially cheddar, contains ten times more PEA, according to a report from the British Cheese Board. What's more, cheese is also purported to help reduce pain and beat stress and anxiety by increasing the release of endorphins.

Hopefully my question doesn't seem so strange anymore.

This is just a teaser -- a more complete story will be on newsstands on Friday -- but PEOPLE magazine online reveals that Heather Locklear is currently seeking treatment for anxiety and depression at an Arizona facility.

Apparently, Locklear has requested an in-depth evaluation of her medication and is seeking a diagnosis and treatment for her health issues. With boyfriend Jack Wagner by her side, the 46-year-old actress, in my opinion, is making a brave and courageous move. It's up to each of us to lobby for our physical and mental health. It seems this is exactly what Locklear is doing. Good for her. And best wishes for a speedy recovery too.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that people who have endured a traumatic event such as war, a violent crime, or abuse sometimes deal with. PTSD includes symptoms such as nightmares, irrational fears, flashbacks, anxiety, and insomnia. It affects about 7.7 million American adults and it can affect children, too.

Preliminary research suggests that PTSD patients may benefit from virtual reality psychotherapy. The virtual reality helps patients relive some of their traumatic experiences while in a safe environment. Iraq war veterans took part in the study -- taking medication and using the virtual reality treatments -- and it's helped many of them confront their fears.

Swimsuit season is fast approaching! It's just around the corner so now is the time to uncover that beautiful beach body you've been keeping under wraps all winter. Is yours hidden beneath an extra layer of winter flab? Have a great exercise plan in mind but having a hard time getting motivated because of stress, pain, anxiety or even depression? Relaxation is one of your body's best healing mechanisms, but it's not always easy to do. Natural techniques like breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and guided imagery can help, plus you don't need any special equipment or training to reap the benefits.

Gyms and fitness centers may not be for everyone. But they are convenient locations for working out -- think weights, treadmills, rowing machines, yoga, exercise classes, trainers, scales, and locker rooms with showers. They also can be pretty intimidating for newbies.

"Gym phobia is not at all uncommon among people who don't have gym experience," writes Scott Saifer at Divine Caroline. With this in mind, he offers two basic tips for overcoming gym anxiety.

• Adopt a "beginners mind," admit you're new to the gym scene, and ask for help. Everyone in the gym was a newbie at one time.

• Locate a staff member -- a trainer, nutritionist, membership counselor -- who can teach you how to navigate the gym, how to use the equipment, how to eat right.

Within a few weeks or months of gym visits, you'll blend in, pick up the jargon, develop a routine, and start to show some muscle. And one day, you'll be the pro other newbies seek.

Wait, I have one more tip: Join us for America Takes It Off and gather some momentum for your gym adventures and more.

Medicinal herbs can be welcome relief for stress and it's side effects, including nervousness, anxiety and loss of sleep. Thus the market for consumption via herbal teas and supplements in pill or liquid form. Last week I wrote about the benefits of getting out in the garden to relieve stress. Then I got to thinking, why not include some stress-relieving medicinal herbs while you're at it?

Planting lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, passionflower, California poppy, and others in the relatively long list of herbs known for their calming effects would provide a constant supply of remedies and the peace of caring for them. Herbs that provide stress relief are often classified into various categories for treating related ailments, including anxiety, insomnia, nervousness and restlessness. There's also a breakdown of which herbs to use according to potency according to David Hoffmann's book Medical Herbalism. The same article describes such herbs as nervines: a plant remedy with some kind of beneficial effect upon the nervous system. Nervine relaxants are most important in times of stress and confusion, as they can alleviate many of the accompanying symptoms.

If you can't find appropriate plants or seeds at your local nursery, you can buy many of them online. There are also plenty of tips for growing herbs as well as ideas for growing indoors.

Ready for another "I eat everything and don't gain any weight" story? Here's one, by Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker.

"I eat everything," the actress, 43, says. "I'm just an eater. If it's free, I honestly eat everything."

To prove her point, Parker shared with PEOPLE magazine a list of the foods she'd eaten in the 48 hours prior to her diet confession.

"Last night I had steak and some lamb shank," she said. "And I had some roasted chicken and some cassoulet and some profiteroles and some ice cream and some cheesecake."

Another example: On Monday, "I had two different tarts from Once Upon a Tart [in SoHo] and toast and a banana and a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese," she said. Oh, yeah: "And a glass of fresh orange juice."

While she doesn't gather up many calories from alcohol -- "I'm just simply not really a drinker," she says -- Parker definitely enjoys her food.

So how does she stay so slim and trim? Predisposition probably, says Parker. And Pilates -- although she hasn't worked out in weeks. And running around after her 5-year-old son. Oh, and anxiety too, she says.

For more scoop on what the stars do to stay in shape, check out AOL's Celebrity Diet & Fitness site.

When my nephew was away at college he became very depressed. Frighteningly depressed. It took the whole family by surprise at first because we didn't really see it coming. He had friends, he had just switched his major to something that suited him much better. He had a great apartment and had just gotten a dog. It seemed like everything was going well for him. But then, wisely, he drove to his parent's house one night and told them he needed help. And he did. While he seemed fine over the phone, what the family didn't know was that hours away at school he wasn't seeing any of his friends, he wasn't going to classes, and he was too depressed to even let his dog outside much of the time. After his depression was out in the open we were all able to look back and see the signs that we missed. We thank goodness for the strength he had and for his ability to ask for help. And we've all kicked ourselves a bit for not seeing the red flags that were right in front of us. Had we seen those warning signs, we could have helped him earlier. Today my nephew is doing wonderfully; he's graduated from college and landed an awesome job. Managing his clinical depression is a part of his daily life; he understands his triggers and manages his symptoms well.

Studies show that 2 out of every 100 children and 8 out of every 100 adolescents struggle with depression. While full-blown depression usually starts in adulthood (as it did with my nephew), low-grade depression may start in childhood or teenage years. And it's important to recognize those signs and get help early on.

When I get stressed or anxious, my mood is quickly reflected in my son's behavior. He's more likely to be disrespectful and to break rules when I'm stressed. Of course, if I don't break the cycle it creates an awfully vicious circle, because his behavior can make me more stressed. But I just try to remind myself (sometimes more successfully than others) that I am the parent and therefore should be at least a tad more emotionally mature than my 10-year-old.

But it turns out that our stress levels can do more than set off a temper tantrum... it can actually lead to our kids getting sick. A recent study found kids with anxious or depressed parents also had higher sickness levels. The parents' stress can actually lower the child's immunities and lead to significantly higher instances of illness.

The college years are fun, but they certainly can be stressful. Some kids are away from home for the first time, others are struggling to support themselves. Students are trying to juggle class loads, part-time jobs, and an often a very busy social scene.

Though most college students can handle the stress that they feel, in a recent survey, 1 in 5 undergraduates reported feeling stressed out all the time. Chronic stress can lead to anxiety, depression, substance abuse, poor school performance, and health problems. Alarmingly, one in ten students reported thinking about suicide.

Students reported that the things that caused them stress included:

• school work
• grades
• finances
• relationships/dating
• family problems
• extracurricular activities

The good news is that more than half of the students surveyed reported feeling hopeful and that they had a good support system. Half said they would turn to professional help if they needed it and 15% have already done so. Even so, it's clear that even though college students are out of the nest, they still need plenty of support.

549 men and women were quizzed to rate their levels of jealousy. The Spanish and Dutch researchers found that while most men felt insecure about rich, attractive, and strong rivals, but shorter men had higher levels of jealousy. Both short and tall women exhibited higher levels of jealousy where women of average height appeared more secure.

So what in the world does height have to do with jealousy? Scientists state that height is one of the first things human notice about each other and is therefore associated with status. Previous research has shown that taller men are more likely to be successful in their careers and earn more money in their lifetime.

I am a worrier who comes from a long line of worriers, and so therefore worry is a part of my daily life. Because I know that stress can negatively affect my health, I work very hard to keep anxiety in check. I try to balance the amount of risk with the amount that I worry. So, for instance, when I started allergy shots a few months ago, I was very worried I'd have an allergic reaction. But once I talked to my doctor and learned that the risk is real, but small, I tried to reduce the amount of energy I put into worrying about it accordingly.

If you are a worrier, you understand completely. If you aren't, you probably think I'm a little bit nuts.

In any case, worriers everywhere will be relieved to know that Real Simple has taken 10 things off our "must worry about" list. For instance, if you accidentally use your own shampoo on your dog, he'll likely be ok. And you can probably eat that cracked egg in the egg carton, especially if it only became cracked once you brought it home from the store. And really, as long as the items you sneak into a movie aren't bothering anyone, the usher will probably leave you alone.

What? Those aren't the kinds of things you worry about? Yeah, me either.

If you think that you suffer from an abnormal amount of anxiety, check out AOL Body's anxiety guide for more information. What kinds of things do you worry about and how do you control it?

Surprised about that headline? So was I.

A research team from Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University followed 1,000 seniors for up to 15 years. Their surprising results showed that women with higher anxiety levels at the beginning of the study tended to live longer. Researchers surmise it's because the anxiety might cause the women to seek medical attention more frequently. More research is needed to understand exactly why the anxiety seems to have a protective effect on older women. On the other hand, men with high anxiety levels were more likely to die earlier.

It's an interesting study, but as for me, I'd rather reduce stress and anxiety. Want to find out your stress score? Check out AOL Body's Life Change Stress Test.