Frazzled? Frustrated? Frothing at the mouth? Going to tell the next person who dares cross you to ‘ef off?

You know what frazzled, frustrated and frothing leads to? A nearly 100 percent chance that disease is headed for your door. Yes, folks, researchers now believe that stress causes 95 percent of illness. Whoa, that’s a whopping big culprit, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we be paying a ton more attention to addressing this disease component?

You probably know some ways to deal effectively with stress. One often-recommended way is meditation, for example. But, if you don’t take the time to meditate – or don’t have the time on a stress-filled day – here are some fast, easy ways to knock out stress before it robs you of your health:

Move. Yes, simply move around! It doesn’t have to be complicated, but one of the best things you can do when you feel stress is get up and move. Jog in place, go for a walk, run down the hall, make a couple rounds on the stairs. If your body is moving (not shuffling along, moving!), it’ll help burn off that stress. Anyway, exercise in general is a stress antidote. Sedentary people are much more sensitive to stress.

Play. Go find something fun to do for a few minutes. Watch a funny YouTube video or those videos of pets that make you say, “Awwwww!” Play an online game. Put on some great music and sing or dance or perform your best rock star imitation. Anything that feels fun and joyful.

Breathe. Another simple one you hear all the time but probably forget to do. Close your eyes and draw in some deep breaths. Zone out to your own personal oasis for a bit. Everyone has time to do this – put up a note to remind you.

Perspective. Put the stressful event into perspective. Does this really matter? Can you let it go … for your own sake? Let the rude driver pass by and slip away down the road. Crank up your radio to a peppy tune, and sing that frustration away. The obnoxious comment made by your co-worker? Shake your head, laugh, forget it. A great deal of the things we allow – yes, it’s a choice – to stress us out aren’t that major, once we shrink them down to what really matters.

Smile. 🙂 No, I’m not kidding you. Plastering on even a fake smile has been shown by research to lower stress levels. Stress dips even further if you actually feel that happy face, i.e. are putting on a genuine smile.

Simple equals success because, once you get in the habit, you’ll more often pull out this toolbox of stress relief and use it. That constant addressing of your stress will help keep you much healthier than letting it build and build until your next vacation.