"Life is hard" we are told. If we believe it, we will experience it.

We may ask ourselves: Why is life like this? It doesn't have to be!

Stress makes us feel dissatisfied, unhappy, sad, grumpy, angry, jealous, aching in body and mind amongst other feelings. Stress is a bodily function meant to save us from danger, but today stress has become the danger. As much as 70% of all illnesses have a relation to stress - thus putting strain on healthcare. Stress gives a low quality of life.

How can you release stress? Don't give stress the benefit of the doubt. Stop it in yourself. You are the one accepting and thus creating the stress, so therefore you are the one that has the power to stop stressing yourself. There are many methods to help you relieve your stress, and the one that works for you is the one you like the best. Some of them are: focus on the now, start looking at what works instead of what doesn't or just start laughing. So do your research and decide which method will be most helpful to you.

Stress has always been around, and we have all tried enduring the sensations accompanying stress. In itself, stress is perfectly normal, but when endured for too long it will start deteriorating the body.

Adrenaline, cortisol and epineprine are all hormones related to stress. These hormones will eventually destroy you if they are in your body too long, or the dose is too high. To counteract the effects of those hormones, you have to start producing another hormone called endorphin. When endorphins are produced you start "eating" away on the "bad" hormones, epineprine and cortisol. This is diminishing the effects they have on you.

How to start producing endorphins to relieve stress? you might ask. Well that is easy. Start doing something to make you happy and relaxed. Physical exercise like running or walking and even doing the dishes will help produce endorphins. Also spending time with your loved ones will increase the production. Even eating a bar of chocolate will do it - but only for a little while :-)

The easiest, fastest and most efficient way to produce endorphins is by laughing. So start laughing. Use any method you like - read comics, watch soaps or stand-up, listen to people laughing, and your stress will disappear like it was a miracle. If it really is this easy, why are more people not doing it - you might say. And you should question it.

However the problem is a cultural one. We are taught or trained not to be emotional, so crying, laughing or any other emotional outburst is not permitted. We must stay in control at all times. Well, look where that's got us: More than half of the worlds population has been stressed to the point where they become ill!