STRESS LESS

Yes, it's possible. Every part of your body will thank you.

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My jaw hurts. Big deal, right? It starts with a looming deadline or a squabble with my spouse, but tension becomes clenching and then pain. Soon I can't eat crunchy sandwiches, my blood sugar drops and a headache is inevitable. I might cancel plans to exercise or see a friend, so my mood is going south at record speed. A good night's sleep is impossible. I'll toss and turn instead and clench some more, then start it all over again tomorrow.

Stress IS a big deal. Even the littlest seed of stress can quickly snowball to make you sick. Not anxious or irritable or depressed (though it can certainly do that too). I mean physically ill in the whole body-from dead stem cells causing prematurely gray hairs on your head down to reduced blood flow in your toes (seriously, "foot tingling" is common before and after a panic attack). If you need a reason to take a walk or a meditation break, here's a reminder of how stress manifests itself in every part of your body.

Your Brain

"I think, therefore I stress." Of course, stress starts out in the brain. Let's start out by defining the term: "Stress is a state of worry caused by an external trigger," says Krystal Lewis, a clinical psychologist at the National Institute of Mental Health. Stress can be short term and acute (like speeding out the door to get to work on time) or long term and chronic (like a busy career, full stop).

Ideally, your stress is acute and you bounce back immediately. In reality, like three-quarters of Americans who report that stress has negatively affected their lives, at least some of your stress is likely chronic.