Fight stress with these 6 strategies

Everyone deals with stress, from small stressors that crop up day to day or chronic stress from work or other life challenges.

Chronic stress can contribute to health issues like heart disease, diabetes, irregular periods, or mental illness.

Start practicing mindfulness, which brings non-judgemental awareness to the present. This practice can reduce stress and anxiety.

Try proactive coping — preparing for potential future stressors, like setting aside money for a hypothetical emergency or coming up with a script for a difficult conversation.

Box breathing — 4 seconds of inhaling, 4 seconds of holding that breath, then 4 seconds of exhaling — has been shown to stave off panic attacks before their immobilizing effects set in.

Chronic-work-stress-induced burnout can be mitigated by psychological detachment (not thinking about work), relaxing by taking walks or lounging, or improving non-work related skills.

Maybe it's time to adopt a pet. Research shows that pets can stave off loneliness or give us reasons to be more active.