Do you resemble a walking zombie in the mornings? Or maybe you're familiar with the 3 p.m. crash and burn? Well, get ready to charge your batteries with Qigong.

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Do you love how great you feel after yoga class, but your a bit crunched for time? Try these yoga moves -- no mat required!

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I'm a night owl. In fact, many nights my night-owlish tendencies merge right into insomnia. My son, on the other hand, is an early bird. We have a rule in our house that says he can't leave his room until 6 a.m. Otherwise, he'd have me up at 5:15 or so every morning. When you pair my late nights with my (unwilling) early mornings, you end up with one tired gal. I try to avoid napping as I worry that it will mess with my ability to sleep at night. According to this article, taking a brief snooze in the afternoon is a healthy thing to do.

I first read about this over on our sister site, DIYLife, and I was happy to see the health perks a short nap can have. Naps can boost alertness, creativity, and mood while reducing stress. Read the article for tips on when and how to nap... it just might do your body good!

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Deadlines, work, overbooked schedules ... we all have stress in our lives. Finding ways to cope with and release stress is essential to a pleasant and happy life. Goodness knows the things that are creating stress probably aren't going away anytime soon.

Good Housekeeping has a list of 52 ways to reduce stress. What I love about these ideas is that they're reasonable and easy to accomplish. After all, you don't want to add more stress in your effort to release stress. Some of my favorite ideas from their list include:

• Uncork a Bottle of Whine. Call up a friend or get together just to vent. Be sure to listen to your friend's issues as well.
• Bless Their Hearts. My maternal grandmother always said this, so maybe that's why I love this tip so much. Whenever someone annoys you -- a driver cutting you off in traffic, a rude sales clerk -- just think or say "Bless their hearts." Three simple words to remind you to be compassionate even in the face of annoyance.
• Demi De-Clutter. Instead of trying to declutter your whole home, just pick one small area at a time... a drawer, a desk, the top shelf of your closet. When you break the job down to small portions, it's more manageable.

Check out the full list for more doable stress relievers. Also, visit AOL Health to check your stress level.

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Feeling stressed? One of the best ways to manage stress may be waiting for you just outside your back door.

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My nephew was born nearly nine weeks premature. It was a scary time for the whole family, but, in some ways, we were lucky. He had trouble breathing and had to be on a ventilator for a while. And, when he was able to start eating from a bottle (several weeks after birth), he had trouble swallowing and often choked. But, frightening as that was, his complications could have been much worse. We were able to visit him in the neonatal intensive care unit and hold him almost as often as we wanted. Other babies weren't so fortunate and had to spend almost all of their time in incubators.

A Canadian study revealed that, even for babies born as early as 28 weeks, cuddling is important. The skin-to-skin contact with loved one, particularly parents, provides comfort, reduces the infant's stress, helps them cope with medical procedures, and enhances attachment.

The study followed babies born between 28 and 31 weeks. Researchers performed a heel prick test (a common test for testing blood sugar) on babies that were being actively cuddled and babies that were not being touched. The pain response in those that were being cuddled and reassured was much less and their stress washed away more quickly.

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A couple months ago, my best friend turned 36. Since I'll be following suit in a few short months, I didn't mind telling her that 36 sounds a whole heck of a lot more like 40 than 35 did. Somehow, at 35, I could still fool myself that I was in my young 30s. But fooling time is over. I'm rounding 40 in a few short years and it's time to face the facts.

Luckily, age is all a matter of perspective. (I remember dreading 28 for some reason, too. It just sounded OLD at the time!) So when I hit 40, I want to be fit and fabulous like the Sex and the City girls. (Without wearing weird hats at premieres ... and drinking too many cosmos ... and wearing ridiculously high heels .. and having fly-by-night relationships with men. OK, maybe I don't want to be like them after all.)

Revolution Health has a list of healthful ways to look your best when the big four-oh hits. Check out the gallery for some of their ideas.

Feeling overwhelmed and a bit stressed out? Goodness knows I do... I sometimes wonder how in the world I will continue managing two jobs and being a single parent to a very busy 10-year-old. But at least I don't have paparazzi to deal with. I can only imagine the pressure and stress of being a busy professional with a family -- and doing it in the glow of Hollywood.

This site gives some practical advice from celebrities on their favorite ways to reduce stress. Kathy Griffin likes to live life on the "TV" list. Nancy Travis swears by jogging or a good massage. Alison Sweeney likes to visit the gym.

What are your favorite ways to de-stress?

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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.

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