Play tennis, basketball, squash, soccer or any other ball game that you enjoy. The good thing about ball games is that they bring out the child in us; we forget that we're exercising and become completely engaged in the activity.

Join a yoga class or jog in the park, ride your bicycle, or take long walks, although make sure you are really exercising rather than just taking a contemplative stroll - the measurement should be in sweat.

If, due to stress, you find it hard to sleep at night, do some volunteer work if you have the inclination. Or cook or clean the house; write an article or a short story. Do anything as long as it is an activity that burns energy. Taking sleeping pills or just rolling over from side to side and back again is not a good idea.

Don't wait for the 'big one'. Practice on the day-to-day small-time stress and find a strategy that suits you best. You will also notice that if the physical activity is engaging, it will divert your focus from the object of the stress. The diversion of focus by itself is a mere postponement of strife, but it becomes effective when combined with the consumption of stress energy.

One should always strive to be discerning; remember to call your head servant to the scene. Awareness increases effectiveness dramatically.


Now let's explore the second route of intelligent contemplation and special meditation to curb stress and meet it in its own field.


After all, things are generally not that bad. Most of us are accustomed to overreacting, we have become a bit of a drama queen; we blow things out of proportion, making an elephant out of a passing mouse. We cannot blindly trust and solely rely on our senses alone. It is a fact that the senses are not very reliable in describing the true nature of phenomena.

And of all the senses, the most unreliable one is the mind sense. It is the mind sense and not the eye that makes an elephant out of a mouse.

And so you have to remind yourself from time to time that your mind and body interpretations of situations are not always right. A situation may be tough, but it is far from being a real threat to your life - don't let the mind sense blow things out of proportion. If you can manage to do that, you will restore some sanity into the system instead of being a victim of the self-perpetuating anxiety and stress that are so common.