One way to cut down on the stress in your life: Stop worrying so much. Easier said than done, right? Some things we simply must worry about -- the safety of our kids in this scary world, for example. But here are nine things we can strike from our worry lists, starting today.

Toilets
Yes, it's possible to contract an infection from potty seats -- see this previous post -- but it's not as likely as you might think. In fact, as long as you wash your hands after a trip to the bathroom, you'll likely never get one. You see, bacteria can't pass through intact skin so in order to catch something, you'd have to not wash your hands and then touch your mouth, nose, or eyes. As for STDs -- they are acquired only by having sex.

Doorknobs
Wash your hands in public restrooms, open doors with your elbows or use a paper towel to turn the knob and you'll fare just fine in the germ department.

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Artificial food coloring makes kids hyper, say British scientists who wish to ban six different colorings. The European Council doesn't plan on issuing any such ban, however, despite the wishes of several powerful consumer and health groups.

Researchers have concluded after the study of 300 kids that there's a link between the colorings, a certain preservative, and hyperactivity in children. The worrisome additives, found in sweets, cakes, and fizzy drinks are: tartrazine (E102), quinoline yellow (E104), sunset yellow (E110), ponceau (E124), allura red (E129), carmoisine (E122) and sodium benzoate (E211). While Britain's Food Standards Agency, a government watchdog group, has called for a voluntary ban on these colorings, an actual government policy may be a long way off.

Further study will be underway. Maybe more conclusive findings will lead to more action.

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