Drs. Goldfarb and Goldfarb

Here are 25 Things You Can Do to Beat Stress

You've got a great job, a beautiful home, a terrific family...on the surface, you've achieved The American Dream. But inside, you're feeling disoriented and lack focus. Your equilibrium has been thrown for a loop, and at times you feel like you're at the end of your rope.

Overachievement, or burnout? The unrealistic expectation that we can "do it all," both at home and at work, has provoked chronic stress in a large percentage of the American population. In fact, the American Academy of Family Physicians reported that about two-thirds of all visits to the family doctor are for stress-related disorders. While women are more prone to it than men, both sexes are vulnerable to overcommittment and burnout.

Here are 25 stress-busting strategies you can try to alleviate burnout:

• Avoid negative, stress-producing people; surround yourself with cheerful folks as much as you can.
• Laugh! Laughter releases a substance called endorphins, which are thought to be involved in regulating mood and controlling the body's response to stress.
• Exercise also causes your body to release endorphins, promoting a feeling of emotional well-being as well as physical fitness.
• Identify the source of your burnout. It's usually caused by having too long a list of "shoulds," but it can also be caused by spending time in activities that aren't engaging to you.
• Do more for yourself, and less for others. If your life is consumed with work, either at home or in your career, it's time to schedule a little time to pursue other interests to give yourself a much-needed distraction.
• Set realistic goals for yourself, and divide large projects into small tasks.
• Make lists. You'll feel more in control if your "have-to's" are written in black and white, and it will be easier for  you to prioritize or even eliminate those tasks that really aren't that important.
• Don't let your emotions build up inside; share them with a trusted friend or family member.
• Make sure you're getting plenty of sleep, and are eating a healthy diet.
• Be as flexible as you can, "rolling" with problems as they come your way. Tomorrow is another day.
• Develop and maintain a positive attitude, viewing challenges or changes as opportunities for growth.
• Accept those things that you cannot change about yourself, others, and the world in general.
• Practice a relaxation technique daily.
• Spend time helping others; it makes you feel good!
• Forgive yourself for past mistakes; everyone makes them. No one is perfect.
• Learn to recognize your body's signals that you're becoming stressed - tensed muscles, clenched teeth, or the urge to eat everything in sight - and work to counteract these signals.
• Realize that you can't please everyone.
• Reward yourself with small things that make you happy.
• Do what's called a "stress rehearsal" - imagine yourself in a stressful event, and picture yourself feeling calm, dealing with the situation in a positive way.
• Abandon the notion that you can do it all. You can't...not because you're not capable, but because you're only one person.