Among the ways to reduce your stress levels, some of the top ways involve being good to yourself:

• Avoid negativity:  Poor morale and outlook can be contagious.  Avoid people who speak and behave negatively.  Rather, stick with friends who find that silver lining and share your enthusiasm for life.

• Reward yourself with meditation and self-reflection.  Set aside a focused period of quiet time each day during which you contemplate inner peace and mind-body wellness.

• Enjoy the pleasures of deep breathing.   Clear both mind and body of stress-inducing blockages by fully inhaling and exhaling for ten minutes at a time, three times daily.

"Make up your mind to be happy.  Learn to find pleasure in the simple things." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson