It's True: You Really Can Learn to Banish Stress Forever and Here's How

Believe it or not it is possible to go for a full day without any of what I call "negative stress." Most of the day, anyway. All you have to do is remember four things to do in the morning as soon as you wake up and just before you retire for the night, you can have a relatively stress free day. Sounds good, doesn't it?

The three steps are as follows:

1. Meditation
2. Exercise
3. Daily Planning
4. Journaling

These steps are very simple and after the first day of performance you'll notice a change in your stress level. After a few weeks, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner on your "anti-stress program."

Let's examine the steps one by one.

1. Meditation

Contrary to popular belief it's not necessary to sit in a lotus position contemplating the mysteries of life and the human condition. Nor is it necessary to clear your mind of all thoughts. Sure, that'd be nice and you could see it as a future goal but for our purposes of avoiding stress all you have to do is sit in a comfortable chair and be still. The preferable time allotted for this is thirty minutes but in the beginning it's okay to sit still for five or ten minutes and work your way up to thirty in the days and weeks to come.

Remember, it's not necessary to concentrate on anything. All you have to do is learn to sit perfectly still for a set amount of time. It's a proven fact that your mind and body are interconnected and by keeping your body as still as possible, you'll find that the mind soon follows. Don't believe me? Try it for ten minutes and then get back to me. You'll notice that you are at least a little more calm...

2. Exercise

This one's a no brainer. If you've got a stress problem, you'll notice that by performing a little light exercise your stress level goes down quite a bit. Exercise helps to produce a chemical in your brain called endorphins that essentially activate the pleasure center in your brain so not only do you feel less stress after exercise, you also feel good.