There is too much stress in our lives. We're so busy and overwhelmed that our stress levels creep up. And it's not good for us. Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to mood disorders, cardiovascular disease, digestive problems, eating disorders and more. It's a killer. But it's easy to recognize stress, but not so easy to rein it in. So today we'll take (what I hope) is a light-hearted look at how to reduce stress with the 10 commandments of stress reduction.

Last month I did a spending freeze. I spent no unnecessary money, and it really opened my eyes. I had gotten in the habit of running to the store with the pretext of buying something necessary, only to come home with much more. When I did the spending freeze, I realized how much extra this was costing me in both time and energy. Everything has a cost. There are no exceptions. But are you aware of the hidden costs of time and energy of areas in your life? Today we will look at some places you may want to recognize and trim hidden costs.

Over the summer, making deliberate choices about my life and activities have fallen by the side of the road. Not deliberately (no pun intended). It just has happened due to a lack of intention. Things have slipped over time, and I am conscious of not being very satisfied with how my life is right now. I've been very conscious of self-care and what it means in relation to the rest of my life over the past few months. I'm still recovering from the effects of severe stress. I find that it means I need to pay more attention to how I am feeling physically and take corrective action. At the same time I feel myself pressured by the stuff, both physical and incomplete, in my life. Maybe it's been coming on slowly the past ten years or so, but I find myself in a place where I…