According to research, as many as 90 percent of primary care physician visits in the U.S. are stress-related, which means there are a lot of people who need to learn to relax more often and more effectively. For most of us, regular spa vacations are out of the question, and that squishy ball on our desk just doesn?t do the trick anymore. But there are many quick and easy ways we can reduce stress in our everyday lives ? including taking periodic mental breaks. Following are 10 tips from the nationally recognized stress and work-life balance expert, Dr. Kathleen Hall, developed exclusively to help MSN Games users pause to play in a matter of mere minutes.

1. Take a Deep Breath

Memorize a short, three- to five-word phrase or affirmation. Repeat this simple phrase over and over as you slowly breathe in and out. Do this exercise for three to five minutes twice a day (morning and evening). This evokes the relaxation response and studies show it lowers blood pressure, releases healing hormones into your body, increases creativity, increases productivity and increases your ability to handle stressful situations.

2. Eat Breakfast

Eating breakfast can increase your metabolism by 25 percent. Research shows that breakfast eaters are healthier and live longer than non-breakfast eaters. Not to mention, people who reach the age of 100 consume breakfast more regularly than non-breakfast eaters. People who eat breakfast also consistently consume less fat, have a higher intake of essential vitamins and minerals and have lower serum cholesterol, which leads to a lower instance of heart disease.

3. Exercise

Exercise at least 20 minutes every other day. Walk at lunch, or set up a treadmill in your television room, so you can watch a favorite show while you give your body life. Discover new exercises such as Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi or Chi Gong. Studies tell us exercise lowers the risk of stroke, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis.

4. Pause to Play

Re-establish "childlike" qualities. Science tells us when we play we increase the immune cells that combat disease. Playfulness also increases creativity, productivity, focus and optimism at home and at work. Periodic mental breaks reduce stress and have significant health benefits. So, take a few minutes each day to play games on a site like MSN Games, where you can kid around with hundreds of puzzle, word, trivia and card games, as well as thousands of other players!

5. Laugh Often

Laugh as often as possible to release healing hormones called endorphins, the body?s natural pain killers. Research tells us that laughter can increase your artery diameter by 22 percent. Go rent a funny movie, or go online to a humorous web site every day and share a joke with your co-workers. Laughter lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones and boosts immune function.

6. Get a Pet

Pets are excellent resources for stress reduction. Studies reveal several benefits of owning a pet, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Pets are emotional life savers, helping people experience intimacy and deal with major changes and losses.

7. Spend Time with Friends

Friendships are strong indicators of mental, physical and spiritual health. Friendship is not a luxury, but is essential to stress reduction, work-life balance and good health. Studies show that isolation decreases immune functioning and increases mortality risk.

8. Feed Your Brain

Stress causes our memory to become impaired. Playing online casual games, such as brainteasers, crossword puzzles, trivia titles and any variety of mentally challenging and fun games can actually stimulate the brain and reduce stress. MSN Games offers hundreds of ?brain food? games, such as ?Hexic? and ?Mah Jong Tiles,? which provide a quick, fun escape to your daily routine, while exercising your brain in new ways.

9. Have an Attitude of Gratitude

It?s physiologically impossible to be grateful while experiencing stress at the same time. Research indicates that grateful individuals report having more energy and less physical complaints than their non-grateful counterparts. Studies also tell us daily gratitude exercises result in higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism and energy.

10. Give a Little Bit

A generous soul lives a rich, abundant life. Altruism neutralizes negative emotions that affect immune, endocrine and cardiovascular function, creating a physiological response or "helpers high" that makes people feel stronger and more energetic, countering the harmful effects of stress.





For additional stress relief and work-life balance resources and more information on Dr. Kathleen Hall, visit TheStressInstitute.com.