BREATHE DEEPLY, BUILD SELF-ESTEEM

Everyone deals with stress differently. Here are a couple of ideas from Carol Price to help reduce or avoid stress.

Escape to an “island.” Create an island in your mind; it can be a real spot remembered or an imaginary place as long as it is peaceful. When feeling stressful, take a couple of very deep breaths and go quickly to that island, where the sky is blue, the breezes gentle and the water serene. You’ll begin to feel that way too.

Keep a victory log. “Buy an expensive book” without words and fill it with your accomplishments. Every night, write down something you accomplished that day. These need not be major accomplishments: They can be a compliment you paid a co-worker, 20 minutes of exercise, some deep breaths you took in an uncomfortable situation. Then, read the log every day. This helps build self-esteem, which tears down stress.