Stress is a killer. Sure, all of us get stressed out at one point or another. But why let stress ruin your day or even worse, control every aspect of your life? Life is too short to stress about the small stuff because it can turn into even bigger stuff. Pretty soon you’re left wondering why you feel so horrible physically, mentally and emotionally.

Look at the source of your problem: stress. There will be days where you absolutely must remove yourself from certain situations for your own health and sanity. Unfortunately, there is no avoiding stress completely, but at least there are many ways to combat stress.

Stress can cause a whole list of health problems including headaches, ulcers and a weakened immune system.

Everyone has a choice of to how they react to stressful situations. We have to make a choice whether to let stress take us down or not. We should take the stress head on and make it into something constructive. Simple things can reduce or correct stress.

One simple way we can take on stress is by thinking rationally about a situation instead of automatically freaking out and thinking the worst. Normally, the first line of defense in our bodies and minds when something starts to unravel is to over react. The most important thing we can do in stressful times is stay calm. It can be very difficult to stay calm when you feel like you’re about to explode but there is no better cure for unneeded stress than to be able to think clearly.

If someone is stressing you out, get yourself away from them. This could mean going into another room, getting out of the office at lunch, going for a walk around the block, or listening to music. These are just some of the ways you can relieve stress.

If someone is stressing you out continually, try talking to them about how or what you are feeling. If the person doesn’t want to talk to you, or they don’t talk to you in a calm manner, then he or she is the one who wants to keep harboring bad feelings. Remember, at least you were the bigger person and tried to talk about it.

In the same way you separate from the people that stress you out, you can also separate from aspects of life that stress you out. It is very important to take time for yourself to recharge.

Try to think about something that you love to do and see if it calms you down. This could be walking in a park or on the beach, or just being out in nature. Go there in your mind, or even physically. Cook a meal for yourself or your family. If it’s cooking that is stressing you out, it won’t kill you to order takeout for one or two nights in order to get your sanity back.

Connecting with God can also help with stress. Prayer always helps me with the stress in my life. It helps me take the focus off the things and people that are causing me stress so I can focus myself on the one who can help take my stress away. God can and will work things out to be better than I ever could. After I pray about whatever it is I’m feeling, I instantly feel at peace and calm. God has a way of making our problems not so big. He helps us realize that we are bigger than our problems and that we can and will overcome them.

When you find yourself stressed about something, think about what others might be going through. It isn’t normally a good idea to compare your situation to another person’s situation, but in that case I think it is okay. There are people who are in way worse scenarios than you. Take a step back, reevaluate why you are stressed out, compared to other's situations. When you hear other’s predicaments, your situation may turn out to be nothing to really stress about.

Stress takes away the joy and peace we should have in our lives. Only God can replace stress with the peace we need in our lives. Stressing about people and situations is a choice. We can either take the stress and let it ruin us, or we can turn it into something constructive that makes us better individuals.

Remembering to not stress is something that we have to work on daily. It takes constant practice and patience within ourselves to remember that there are others who often have it way worse than we do.

Life is too short to stress, and you are too blessed to be stressed.