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Top 10 Stress Management Articles

By , About.com Guide

Updated February 22, 2012

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

We get many visitors at this site, looking for stress relief resources and information on all aspects of stress and stress management. Some topics are especially popular and seem to speak to a vast number of people. Here are the most popular features of the past year.

1. Quiz: Are You A Perfectionist?

Do you sometimes wonder if your desire for excellence crosses the line into perfectionism? This fifteen-question quiz can help you to better understand yourself, see the distinction between perfectionism and high achievement, and find out where your tendencies lie.

2. Cortisol and Stress: How Cortisol Affects Your Body, and How To Stay Healthy

Cortisol is known as 'the stress hormone' because stress activates cortisol secretion. While it is important in proper body functioning, too much cortisol in your bloodstream can lead to serious health consequences. Learn more about cortisol, the effects of cortisol, and how to stay healthy in the face of stress.

3. The Stress-Relieving Benefits of Sex, and How to Keep Your Libido Strong

Sex can have great stress management benefits! Unfortunately, stress can hinder sexuality: people who are experiencing a lot of stress can feel a decrease in libido. Learn more about the tension-relieving benefits of sex, and find techniques to manage stress.

4. Quiz: Do You Have a "Type A" Personality? Take This Self Test To Find Out!

Do you have a Type A Personality? Take the Type A Personality Quiz from About's Stress Management Site and see if type a personality characteristics may be causing more stress in your life. Also, find more information about type a personality and resources for dealing with type a personality characteristics in yourself and others.

5. Take The Healthy Lifestyle Quiz: Is Your Lifestyle Soothing or Stressing You?

How much stress are you experiencing in your daily life? And could you make some changes in your life to reduce the amount of stress you experience? Take the healthy lifestyle quiz, examine ten important areas of your life, and see if you're getting enough sleep, stressing too much at work, getting adequate exercise, and more. There are recommendations for every area of your life so you can live a healthier lifestyle today!

6. Quiz: Are You Prone To Being Optimistic or Pessimistic?

Studies show that optimists enjoy increased health and longevity, less stress, and are able to persist and succeed where others might quit after a failure. Take this self-test and, with 10 questions, discover whether you have a positive or negative explanatory style, and learn how this impacts your life. You'll also find resources to help you become more optimistic!

7. Stress Relievers: Top Tension Reducing Activities

These tension reducing stress management techniques have been proven stress relievers that effectively help millions of people reduce stress, relax, and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Learn about meditation, yoga, self-hypnosis and other important stress relievers you can begin using today!

8. Job Burnout Quiz: Assess Your Risk For Job Burnout

Is your job putting you under excessive levels of stress? Our work lives take up much of our waking hours, and affect us greatly. This job burnout self test is designed to analyze features of your job that may put you at a greater risk of job burnout, and assess your emotional state and feelings about your job, to let you know more about your job burnout risk. Assess your situation, and find resources for combating burnout.

9. Healthy Lifestyle: 6 Great Ways to Start Your Day

How you spend your morning can put a flavor on the rest of your day. From yoga to yogurt, these healthy lifestyle habits can reduce stress, improve health, and give you a great start! Start living a more healthy lifestyle today with some of these ideas on healthy living.

10. Worst Ways To Handle Conflict

Conventional wisdom (and research) says that good communication can improve relationships, increasing intimacy, trust and support. The converse is also true: poor communication can weaken bonds, creating mistrust and even contempt! Here are some examples of negative and even destructive attitudes and communication patterns that can exacerbate conflict in a relationship. How many of these sound like something you’d do?

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