 Understanding What Causes Stress
The first stage in preventing
and lowering your own levels of stress is recognizing what stress
is and what the major causes of stress are.
How is Stress Affecting YOU?
How stressed out are YOU?
Let's take a look into what may
be causing your stress levels to
be where they currently are.
Develop a Stress-Relief
Action Plan
Here are some tips for staying
healthy throughout the year on campus and more.
YOUR Stress Relief PLAN : Managing Daily Habits
Knowing how to manage stress
on a day-to-day basis can be just
as tough as dealing with the
stress itself. Here is a guide to
help you along the way.
Stress Relief Products
In addition to a regular stress management program, there
are many tools available to
assist you on your path to a
stress-free lifestyle. 
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Tried & True: Exercise Cures the Blues
 f your attitude could use an adjustment -- and whose couldn't at one time or another -- then the answer lies literally at your feet. Get those feet moving, and the rest of your body with them, and the cure for your blahs is at hand.
 Numerous studies have proven that exercise is the best natural cure for stress and bad moods. When combined with counseling and medication, it even helps reduce clinical depression. By elevating the heart rate and altering the amounts of key brain chemicals, exercise alone can frequently banish a bad mood or help erase a bad day. Relaxation techniques and casual recreation also help, but intense exercise is more effective.
A fairly intense workout causes the body to produce endorphins, a natural opiate that improves mood and relieves pain. Endorphins lower the level of cortisol in the blood, a hormone linked to stress and depression. In addition to endorphins, exercise increases levels of both serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain. Both of these chemicals have positive effects on a person's mood.
For the best results, and with your doctor's approval, try to adopt a regular exercise program such as walking. The mood elevating effects are strongest when workouts are frequent and have been ongoing for at least nine weeks.
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