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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Jog in the morning? If so, that's a good thing -- just make sure you don't go through fume-infested traffic patterns in doing so.

If you've been diagnosed with heart disease -- even a mild form -- and are under doctor's orders to get regular exercise and change that diet, recent research says to stay away from diesel fumes if at all possible.

The research stated that even brief exposure to those fumes by men with stable heart disease caused restricted blood flow to their hearts. If your heart is weak already from mild heart disease, you surely don't want to compound that problem any further by your choice of outside jogging or walking venue.

Public park or treadmill are great alternatives, although one may not be as convenient and the other adds a decent amount of cost.

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I once had a friend who liked that "new car smell" so much he actually found an air freshener scented like it and put it in his old beater car. He loved it. But have you ever thought about why new cars smell the way they do? And they usually smell that way for weeks, if not months to a year or more (depending on how many fast food meals and to-go coffees you spill!). Unfortunately, it's due to chemicals used during the manufacturing process like bromine, chlorine, and even lead that give off harmful fumes for up to 3 years.

Suggestions for limiting your exposure include avoiding sunny parking spots whenever you can, using a screen on the windshield when you park, and then letting the car air out before you get in. Click here for a listing of the 10 worst cars tested, and the 10 best.

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