found this on Dr. Oz's website...steps for the ultimate stress reduction plan...i know a lot of us are super stressed out...and maybe this will help...I definitely liked what I excerpted on here and plan to start these things ASAP

Ultimate Stress Reduction Plan

Easing into the Plan

Start a gratitude journal and write in it for 5 minutes each day, even if you’re just jotting down 3 things for which you are grateful. People who stop and take note of what is right in their lives are more active, healthier and more resilient in times of stress.

Take 10 slow, deep conscious breaths this morning and evening.

Smile when you make eye contact with another person. It will make you BOTH feel better.

Create Your Stressors List

Let’s identify some obvious and not-so-obvious sources of stress in your daily life. Big worry-inducers like the mortgage, family health problems, and work deadlines are probably top of mind for a lot of people. Other less obvious sources of stress and tension can plague you as well.

Naming the problem is the first step toward solving it! So what stresses you out? Today it’s time to pinpoint those smaller, yet still bothersome, sources of stress so you can begin to manage them mindfully.

Create a Sanctuary from Stress

Our personal space reflects our state of mind. We can’t control the entire world around us, but we can control the space we live in; we can make our home into a sanctuary, one that helps calm us at the end of a stressful day.

That extra clutter in your home may be weighing you down more than you think. If you had to step over piles of junk just to get to your computer, it's time to act. A bit more space can free your mind and boost your positive energy.

Here are some tips for creating a stress-free home:

• Pick a time. Schedule a time that works for the whole family. Getting everyone involved means everyone can have a say on what stays or goes. Plus, the whole process goes faster with all hands on deck.
• Toss or sell anything not used in 12 months. This is a rule to live by – if you haven't used an item in the last year, it’s unlikely you need it. Get rid of it!
• Ban other people’s junk! We have enough clutter of our own – so starting today ban other people’s clutter from your home. This means returning any borrowed item – and if your children are grown with homes of their own, ask them to come and pick up their stuff.

Surround Yourself with People

You cannot overestimate the importance of social connections in dealing with stress. The quality of your relationships influences the number of immune cells you have, and therefore affect your body’s ability to resist disease and cancer.

Anything that gets you together with other people on a regular basis -- community groups, volunteer organizations, athletic teams, or purely social events -- can all help decrease stress and make you feel younger.

Try to call a friend every day to catch up with them, instead of only speaking through texts or the internet.

Improve your Hygiene

Stress destroys your sleep patterns, and a lack of sleep leads to more stress. It's a vicious cycle. This is one of the most important things you’ll do to take control of your stress.

Sleep hygiene refers to the habits and routines (or lack thereof) that you establish around bedtime. Good sleep hygiene choices, such as having a consistent bedtime and engaging in relaxing activities in the evening, improves the quality of your sleep and decreases stress levels. Poor sleep hygiene choices, such as watching television in bed, exercising too close to bedtime, or consuming alcohol or caffeine late in the evening, may hinder your ability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep.

Rest and Reflect

Make time for yourself: Find thirty minutes in today, just for you, that is "me time."

Try some relaxation exercises, like the self-massage:

This is a great little trick. By tensing and relaxing your muscles, you can give yourself a full body massage (well, as close as giving a massage to oneself can be) and release your stored physical stress. While sitting or lying down, concentrate only on tensing the muscles of your feet as much as you can. Then, after a few seconds, release the tension. Move up from your feet to each muscle group one at a time. Focus on your legs, stomach, back moving up to your neck, arms, face, and head. Take deep slow breaths as you do this. When you’re done, give yourself a few minutes to relax – and congratulate yourself for a terrific massage!

Focus on the Moment

You’ll be better at stress management by being “mindful”—that is, really paying attention to the present. Try the following techniques to help clear you mind and focus on the present.

Go on a news fast.

News is important, but often stressful. Taking one day a week to shun all news can do us good. If anything really important is happening, you’ll hear about it, but the peace and quiet can be good for your stress levels.

Yoga, yoga, yoga.

Clearly, we can't say it enough. Yoga could very well be your ultimate de-stress technique (and it's also a great physical exercise). It lowers blood pressure and heart rate, decreases stress hormones, and increases relaxation hormones like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. You can get the benefits of yoga in a single pose or in a full-fledged class. All in favor of downward dog, say ohm. Try the 20 minute Dr. Oz yoga routine

YOUR body Scan

Here’s how to do it: Focus on every part of your body, which will help you to relax:

• Lie down Close your eyes and notice your posture
• Think about the natural flow of your breath, focusing on air filling and leaving the lungs
• Notice your toes -- any tension, tingling, or temperature change?
• Move to thinking about your feet, heels, and ankles, all the way up through the knees, thighs, and pelvis
• Continue with each body part—going through both the front and back of your body as you work your way up -- finishing with the throat, jaw, tongue, face, and brow

Chi-gong

• Rub your hands together to warm them (and gather chi).
• Place each palm over the respective eye.
• Press the center bone that sticks out on top of each eye with each index finger.
• Press the outside corner of your eye at the bone.
• Press the bottom center of the eye on the inside of the bone.
• Press the inside of each eye.
• Use your thumbs to push where the jaw and cheekbone meet at the temporomandibular junction.
• Pinch the ears around the pinnacle from the top to the bottom.
• End the sequence with the move called “Beating the Heavenly Drum,” by tapping the back of your head nine times with your hands; the thumbs rest on the neck as an axis as shown below.

Exercise your Stress Away

Exercise.

Simply put, physical activity is one of life’s greatest stress relievers. Stress causes our body to build up extra energy, preparing us for fight or flight and exercise burns energy and reduces our stress levels. Exercise metabolizes stress hormones in our blood and increases levels of our body’s built-in anti-anxiety hormones, making us feel calmer.

Continue doing mindfulness exercises in the morning or before bed and try to do physical activity at least 3 times a week.

Eat Stress-Busting Food

Choose Comfort Food

Food can fight stress in several ways. Real comfort foods, like a bowl of warm oatmeal, actually boost levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical. A nutritious diet can shore up the immune system and lower blood pressure.

Commit these stress-busting foods to memory and incorporate them into your daily menu.

Berries, any berries. Eat them one by one instead of M&Ms when the pressure's on. For those tough times when tension tightens your jaw, try rolling a frozen berry around in your mouth. And then another, and another. Since the carbs in berries turn to sugar very slowly, you won't have a blood-sugar crash. The bonus: They're a good source of vitamin C, which helps fight a jump in cortisol, a stress hormone.

Guacamole. If you're craving something creamy, grab some guac. Avocados are loaded with B vitamins, which stress quickly depletes and which your body needs in order to maintain nerves and brain cells. Plus, their creaminess comes from healthy fat. Scoop up the stuff with whole-grain baked chips -- crunching keeps you from gritting your teeth.

Mixed nuts.Just an ounce will do. Walnuts help replace those stress-depleted B vitamins, Brazil nuts give you a whopping amount of zinc (which is also drained by high anxiety), and almonds boost your E, which helps fight cellular damage linked to chronic stress. Buy nuts in the shell and think of it as multitasking: With every squeeze of the nutcracker, you're releasing a little tension. Pistachios can soften the impact stress hormones have on the body. Eating a handful of pistachios every day can lower blood pressure, so it won’t spike as high when that adrenaline rush comes.

Oranges. People who take 1,000 milligrams of C before giving a speech have lower levels of cortisol and lower blood pressures than those who don't. So lean back, take a deep breath, and concentrate on peeling a large orange. The 5-minute mindfulness break will ease your mind, and you'll get a bunch of C as well.

Asparagus. Each tender stalk is a source of folic acid, a natural mood lightener. Dip the spears in fat-free yogurt or sour cream for a hit of calcium with each bite.

Spinach is packed with magnesium, which helps regulate cortisol levels and tends to get depleted when we’re under pressure. A little more magnesium may help you avoid headaches and fatigue. One cup of spinach goes a long way toward replenishing magnesium stores.

Chai tea. A warm drink is a supersoother, and curling up with a cup of aromatic decaf chai tea (Tazo makes ready-to-brew bags) can make the whole evil day go away.

Dark chocolate. Okay, there's nothing in it that relieves stress, but when only chocolate will do, reach for the dark, sultry kind that's at least 70% cocoa. You figure if the antioxidant flavonoids in it are potent enough to fight cancer and heart disease, they've got to be able to temper tension's effects.

Complex Carbs. All carbs prompt the brain to make more serotonin. For a steady supply of this feel-good chemical, it’s best to eat complex carbs, which are digested more slowly. Good choices include whole-grain breakfast cereals, breads, and pastas, as well as old-fashioned oatmeal. Complex carbs can also help you feel balanced by stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Trout and salmon. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish like salmon and trout can protect your heart from surges in stress hormones. For a steady supply, aim to eat four ounces of fatty fish at least three times a week.

Raw Veggies. Crunchy raw vegetables can fight the effects of stress in a purely mechanical way. Munching celery or carrot sticks helps release a clenched jaw, and that can ward off tension headaches.

Milk. Another bedtime stress buster is warm skim milk. Maybe the calcium can reduce muscle spasms and soothe tension, as well as easing anxiety and mood swings linked to PMS.

Serotonin Increasers:

• Lean meats like turkey
• Dairy
• Bananas
• Soy
• Seeds and nuts
• Shellfish
  
  

  Bedtime Snack. Carbs at bedtime can speed the release of serotonin and help you sleep better. Heavy meals before bed can trigger heartburn, so stick to something light like toast and jam.

  
  

  Drink Alcohol in Moderation

  An occasional glass of wine can be a great way to unwind. Too much will affect your sleeping patterns, mood and can make you more irritable.

  
  

  Herbal Supplements

  There are many herbal supplements that claim to fight stress. One of the best studied is SAME, which has shown benefits for people with mild-to-moderate depression. Although more research is needed, the herb also appears to reduce symptoms of anxiety and PMS.

Confront Your Personal History

Here’s some startling news: each year half of us will experience what’s known as a “major life event.” This is tough stuff; these are the hurdles in life that really define our stress levels. What should you do when you feel totally overwhelmed? What is there’s a problem or secret that’s just too difficult to discuss with your friends and family?

Seek professional help if you need to. This will be a major step in finally taking control of your stress. A therapist, psychologist, minister, counselor, or psychiatrist can provide guidance and insight and strategies for dealing with stress and emotional traumas.

If this is not possible, find someone that you trust talk to them about it...chances are, they will be more than willing to listen to you and help you as much as they can.

Become a Lifelong Learner

Did you ever realize that school actually reduces your stress and makes you younger? Counterintuitive as that sounds, keeping your mind active helps keep your body young and relieves stress. People who are more educated tend to keep up with activities that make them younger. Mental activity is like muscular strength so that it diminishes with age if we do not use it. Education, either formal or informal, keeps your mind in shape and your stress levels in check.

Get Enrolling

Taking a class, or reading a how-to book in something you’re interested in, whether it’s philosophy, cooking, knitting or computers.

Go to a museum, start a new book, take a trip, or develop a new interest like playing a musical instrument. Creating lifetime learning doesn’t mean you have to love school.

If you have an interest in something, explore it.