It is the diagnosis that no one wants to hear. Despite years of research, the word "cancer" continues to strike fear into the hearts of men, women, and children. While the detection of cancer is no longer a death sentence, there is always the possibility that cancer will accelerate the end of one's life. With a diagnosis of cancer, one comes face-to-face with one's own mortality.

You had high hopes for your marriage. Your first meeting was ideal-at a local church picnic. Your courtship was a dream-many moonlight walks along the riverfront. Your wedding day brought tears of joy to your eyes. But then tensions began to arise and the marriage fell apart. As a result, you are now heading to divorce court.

Perhaps nothing is as important in our lives as our relationships with other people. It has often been said that a happy family is the key to success. Much of our joy comes from our memories of Thanksgiving dinners around the dining room table or Christmas presents exchanged in the family room. But it is also true that the relationships that provide us with so much happiness can also be a source of stress.

It's a malady that tends to strike around holiday time-although it can theoretically happen at any time of the year. You find yourself in a sea of people making its way through your local shopping mall. The crush of the crowd makes you feel claustrophobic. You run from store to store, vying against other shoppers for your turn at the racks. It seems as if no store has exactly what you're looking for.

Perhaps it's due to a boss who seems to be making unreasonable demands. Or it's the result of a co-worker who seems to routinely pass her work onto you. Or maybe you're in a profession where tension is great, such as medicine or law. While a little bit of stress on the job can be healthy, too much can be a killer-literally. It's been shown that there appears to be a direct correlation between stress and heart disease.

You can recall clearly the day your father took you for your first bicycle ride. It was a crisp autumn day and the sun was shining on your brand new Huffy. You remember his hand gently guiding your bike along the road that ran by your apartment building. You even recall his smile as you began steering your bike on your own.

It might have begun with your first spelling test in second grade. Your stomach became queasy as you tried to recall all the right letters. You might have felt your heart pounding and your knuckles turned white. Your head might have hurt as you tried in vain to concentrate. When you received a "D" on the test, your stress level only intensified. You automatically viewed yourself as a failure.

You might have gotten your first credit card offer when you were still in college. It was exciting-the idea that you could be entrusted with a credit card account. You could suddenly buy things you never dreamed possible. Your standard of living seemed to grow considerably. This was especially important during your college years, when money was so tight.

You may have run up your credit card balances when you had your first child. You had to buy so many things-a bassinet, crib, stroller-and a credit card seemed a good way to pay for it. You might have realized that it was wrong to overcharge, but you felt as if you had no other option. Suddenly, you found yourself facing a mountain of credit card debt.

Your child brings home a report card filled with low marks. Your dog just bit your neighbor, and the sink in the kitchen no longer works. You feel you're under major stress. As a result, you find yourself tossing and turning at night, unable to get a good night's sleep. This is truly unfortunate, because sleep can re-charge a person's batteries, enabling him or her to better tackle the stressors that come along the road.

You may notice that you reach for the potato chips when a television program becomes particularly frightening. Or you grab the crackers at work when you learn that you'll have to handle a new project. You may also nibble on candy bars when you're having difficulty controlling your children. These eating patterns are all a reaction to stress.

Stress plays an important part in our daily diet. In fact, a great deal of overeating has been attributed to stress. However, it is also true that your diet can have an impact on stress. There are certain foods that tend to worsen our stress levels. A number of these foods fall into the category of stimulants.

It can take us to exotic lands, with powdery white beaches and clear azure skies. It can take us back in time-even to prehistoric days-or forward to the Big Brother world of the 25th century. It can fill our eyes with tears or make us laugh aloud. Reading opens a window to the world, giving us a vision of things we never dreamed possible. But, though you might not realize it, reading can also reduce your stress level.

Music–It is the soundtrack to our lives. You might have driven your first car while the Go-Gos blared on the radio. You may remember singing "Memory" at your high school graduation, or you might have had the organist play "Ode to Joy" at your wedding. You may remember the first time you heard Bruce Springsteen, or the last time you heard Madonna. Whether your musical tastes are contemporary or classical, chances are you do have a favorite form of music. And you also probably have a favorite artist or band.

The first year of parenthood is a memorable time. You're getting to know your baby and becoming acclimated to your role as a parent. You learn how to feed your baby, how to clothe him or her, and even how to medicate your baby. Every few weeks, you check with your pediatrician's office to chart your baby's growth. It is, in fact, an incredible period of growth for both you and your baby.

Perhaps it shows through your fidgeting, your nail-biting, or your sleepless nights. You feel as if you are under a great deal of stress, and you are searching for relief. While there are many stress reduction strategies you could use, perhaps one of the best is one of the easiest: cooking.

Cooking is an art as well as a science. It takes a great deal of patience and persistence to become an excellent cook, and some of your experiments will inevitably end up in the wastebasket or down the garbage disposal. Yet, there is something incredibly relaxing about sauting onions, grilling chicken, or barbecuing pork. You can become mesmerized by the scent of your culinary sensations. The process of stirring, chopping, or slicing can be highly therapeutic. You can feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of a good meal which can further reduce your stress level.

If you dread going to the supermarket, you're not alone. A number of people consider grocery shopping to be a tremendously stressful experience. It can tax your mind, drain your resources, and cause your blood pressure to rise. It is certainly not surprising, when you consider all of the elements that are involved in a trip to the local supermarket.

To begin with, negotiating the parking lot can be quite stressful. You have to deal with a parade of cars going in all directions. You have to steer clear of shopping carts and strollers. Pedestrians might jump out in front of your car when you least expect it. The hazards increase if it is snowing or drizzling outside.

Perhaps it's the result of having a new job, a new mate, or a new baby. You are overwhelmed with a feeling of excitement. Yet, you feel inadequate as well. As a result, you are under a tremendous amount of stress. At times, you might feel as if there's no relief in sight-as if you're on a treadmill which shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

You may have first learned to pray at your mother's knee. You decided that, in times of trouble, prayer could open up a pathway to enlightenment and peace. You might have said a prayer before a big test, before showing your parents your report card, or before the final football game of the season.

There appears to be a link between prayer and healing. Medical studies have even concluded that patients who have other people to pray for them tend to fare better than those without such prayer support. Whether it's a single prayer or a flood of prayers, it has been said that prayer can move mountains-and that is particularly true when the mountain is debilitating illness.

If you are living an extremely stressful life then you are probably looking for ways to cut down your stress and increase your health. Here are some tips on lowering your stress fast and easy.

Stress affects everyone during their lifetime, no matter what the situation such as a difficult job, difficult relationship or problems with children. If you are suffering from stress there are a few things that you can do to control your stress or lower it.

Many people live busy lives. They are constantly running around commuting to work, driving their kids all over town and doing chores. Many people suffer from lots of stress. Not only can stress make life uncomfortable but stress can also increase health risks for heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. If you are suffering from stress, here are some great tips.

Stress comes in many different forms. There is actually good types of stress that motivate people and inspire them to be successful and then there is bad stress which most of us experience. Stress can be extremely uncomfortable and drain us of precious energy. If you are experiencing stress then try the following.

It might have started with a panic attack during your algebra exam in high school. It then might have progressed into depression in college, and post-partum depression after the birth of your first child. At times, you might have even felt so desperate that you wanted to commit suicide.

Or perhaps you have a brother who seems in the grips of full-blown paranoia. No matter how much you try, you just cannot reach him. He's convinced that the FBI is watching his every move, and no one can convince him otherwise. You want him to seek professional help, but he is reluctant to do so.