How often do you feel stressed? If you're like most of us, it's several times a day.

What do you think this is doing to your body? Are you noticing signs of excessive stress in your body or hoping they don't start appearing?

Well most of us are not in a position to simply get rid of the stresses we're under. So how can we deal them so our health is not negatively affected, or how do we help our bodies heal so we can deal with the many stresses we face every day?

The answer for me was tai chi chuan (taijiquan). I started studying 7 years ago and I feel better today than I did 20 years ago. I've learned that just a little regular practice can go a long way toward helping me deal with life's stressful situations and toward making me feel good.

According to several medical research studies, tai chi is a true aerobic exercise. Practicing it will oxygenate your blood and it's one of the many ways tai chi helps your body heal itself.

The focus you'll use while practicing this gentle form of exercise and energy movement also has an incredible impact on lowering your stress level, making you physically and emotionally able to better deal with stress. In effect it raises your resistance to many of the negative affects of stress.

Image yourself in a stressful situation you recently faced. How do you feel? Is your blood pressure elevated? How are you dealing with this stress right now? Remember you're not actually facing it, you're only remembering it.

Now imagine yourself calmly moving in a rhythmic fashion as you relax your body and breathe deeply. Relax, take a moment and imagine this, and then notice how you're feeling. Is your blood pressure down? Are you feeling better? Image how you'd feel if you were actually doing tai chi.

Tai chi has helped me, many people I know, and is more available now than ever before. Take a look around and see if there is a good tai chi school nearby.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. That's what I say!