Today excess stress seems normal, but do we have to settle for that? I do not claim to be a psychiatrist, doctor or counselor, but I do know that we all have stress, regardless of our age, race, sex or culture. Excessive stress, however,can be harmful, if we do not control it.

According to MedicineNet.com:

Stress occurs when forces from the outside world impinge on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life. However, over-stress, can be harmful. There is now speculation, as well as some evidence, that points to the abnormal stress responses as being involved in causing various diseases or conditions.

The less control we have over a situation, the more stress we are likely to experience. If we do not try to manage stress, it gets out of control, hence we are likely to get sick and may even die prematurely. It is no wonder that with the global economy and other crisis, more people are over-stressed. I cannot speak for anyone else, but I think I have been more stressed in the past few months more than any other period of my life.

Whatever you do...please do not try what the man featured above did to relieve stress.  You may not be so lucky to survive, but I did find it hilarious.

How about you? Have you been over-stressed lately? How do you deal with stress? May I share with you what works for me?

1. Relax...Sometimes I take a break from work, and other activities, and simply relax, let my hair down. It helps me to take my mind off my problems. I may even forget for a while that I was stressed out.

2. Watch a good movie...During the movie, I sometimes seem to become one of the characters in that movie, and by the end of the movie, I may look at my life with a different perspective, or feel a little better.

3. Read a good book...it is encouraging to follow the advice of experts, or other people who I can identify with. My favorite book is The Holy Bible. I recommend it without any reservation. It is a best seller, and it has been around for centuries, more than any other book. I can understand why.. it offers a wealth of sound advice, and explanations, such as why we get stressed out, from the Maker Himself.

4. Listen to some good music...I play musical instruments (the piano and very rarely the guitar). I sing to my hearts content, and listen to inspirational music with or without lyrics, from my Ipod or the radio, which ever is available. I rarely go to sleep without listening to an array of contemporary christian and gospel music, sometimes classical. I find it very soothing, and it helps me to focus on positive thoughts.

5. Go to bed...Sleep, I think, is the best way to refresh ourselves. Sometimes even napping during the day may minimize the stressful situations we experience, if we won't get fired, that is.

6. Take deep breaths and exhale slowly. It has been shown medically that deep breathing actually assists in maintaining a healthy heart and normal blood pressure. It can also reduce the risk of strokes and contributes to a relaxed mind, body and spirit. This has really helped me. I practice this mostly at night while I'm in bed, but I may also do this during the day if I'm bored or getting sleepy.

7. Perhaps, the best way to deal with stress is to laugh. Yes, laugh at yourself, laugh at others (make sure they are laughing too), and by all means laugh with others. It is said that laughter is the best medicine. May I add the cheapest medicine too, with no additives, no preservatives etc. In addition, it is contagious. When you laugh, you encourage others to laugh, and so they experience the benefits of laughing while you do. I try to watch at least one comedy weekly. My favorite comedian is actually a preacher. He is hilarious while he is preaching.

8. Go for a drive...Sometimes I'm adventurous. I may just drive a great distance for hours, just to get away from a stressful routine. I advise everyone who is able to take a trip, a mini-vacation, vacation, a tour, treat yourself to dinner or just get a way from the routine. Let the wind blow through your hair (if you have any). Close your eyes, when you are not driving and dream big dreams. You may get fresh ideas while you are being refreshed. This works for me.

9. Make new friends...We'll never have enough friends. I just make sure my new friends won't add more stress to my life.

10. Take a shower, go for a swim. Water relaxes us. Even soaking in water for a while helps. It is better than pretending to be able to swim.

11. Start a new hobby..A new hobby gets me so preoccupied that my focus shifts to concentrating on enjoying the new hobby as opposed to the woes causing stress.

12. Play games or sports I love indoor games, and I like to play them when I'm under much stress. The only problem is, sometimes they add more stress if my competitor makes it too difficult for me to win, or if he or she is not much of a challenge, it can become a waste of time if I'm not careful.

13. Listen to a motivational speaker or preacher. Listen to a sermon or a motivational speaker. My views have been influenced and even changed for the better, simply by listening to someone who knew more than I did on a subject when they shared valuable information.

14. Exercise is not my favorite stress-buster, but it is highly recommended. No..it's not that I'm lazy. I just have a busy life-style, working twelve hours daily on an average work day, hmmmmmm perhaps that explains why I may be so stressed. I may need to consider changing my vocation.

15. Pray...If everything else fails, prayer is likely to remove excess stress.

16. Go shopping...This depends on the reason I am stressed. If poor health caused stress, because I have not been eating properly, I'll shop for more nutritious food based on my budget, which is a shoestring budget for right now. Experience is constantly teaching me wisdom.

These are just some of the things I do when stress becomes unbearable. I'm sure there are many, many more stress-busters. How about you? I'm sure you have great ideas. Why not share what works for you? I may try them too, or recommend them to others.