I have an article deadline to meet. The weather is fab. I'd rather spend a day out at the beach or have a steaming cup of coffee at my favourite joint. Instead, I'm reading about the human genome project that, apparently, will allow us to live to 150. I put down the journal, muse over the notion of fate, and wonder why I was born too soon to take advantage of the future.

My mind wanders. I envision monks sitting with their eyes closed, minds clear. There is a sense of longing to do the same. Meditation? Not for me. It always seems to work better on others. My mind is stubborn, resistant, a steel bar that will not bend to my will. Is this constant thinking ruining my health? Is this stress?

I know that stress is not always bad. Some of it is inevitable and actually beneficial. It helps people attain difficult goals and perform better. Some degree of stress enhances performance. However, when it exceeds a certain limit, it detracts from performance. Total absence of stress would make life very boring. Since information is my latest pacifier, I log on to see how bad stress really is, and how to cope with it.

Learning to successfully manage stress begins with our willingness to take an honest look at ourselves. Everyone's tolerance for stress is different, and each person handles it differently. It is important for us to recognise our limits. To know that, we need to take a stress test. Stress Tips, features seven different tests based on popular reasons like mental, emotional, live events, social, work, spiritual and more, that are responsible for burn out.

Users can take all tests or pick the one factor they think is the closest cause of stress in their lives. The site also offers sections on how to get tough with stress, and an online stress store.

Stress can be reduced by taking a vacation, or, at times, simply by pulling the covers back over one's head in the morning. However, a vacation won't last forever and, eventually, one has to return to everything he or she was trying to escape. What we truly need is permanent inner peace. A good place to find it is Mezzo Wave, an energy-enhanced chill out and healing zone designed to provide a free positive energy experience through animation and music. It also has a collection of stress relieving wallpapers.

Visiting the Himalayas for meditation may be impossible. Without technology, that is.

The American Buddhist Centre takes a while to load, but is definitely worth the wait. Brilliantly animated, it has a chant room, articles, features, resources, meditation practice and lots more.

If meditation doesn't help lower those stress levels, get professional help. LessStress is an online stress counsellor offering tips on relieving stress. it features a section each for individuals and managers. If, however, you find lectures boring and tips difficult to follow, try alternative means of destressing yourself. Holistic Online, promises new ways of relieving stress. It features alternative therapies, apart from in-depth research on getting to the root cause of strain and how to cope with it.

StressLess is another one-stop site that feeds you with info on what stress is all about, how to cope with it and therapies that will help you relax. It also boasts 1,302 stress reducing products and programmes, the latest news and research.

Studies reveal that students form the highest category of people who experience burn out at an early stage. To counter this, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism started Stress Inc., a fun site featuring games, stress quizzes, categorised articles depicting facts and figures, stress counselling, prescriptions for stress and depression, and a history of stress study.

Coffee Rooms, an online web community, helps you share some down-to-earth ideas on managing stress with laughter, with others who are still combating it. And, speaking of laughter, Ninsun's Virtual Stress Relievers offers a free, humorous, though slightly irreverent, way of sending messages of good cheer online.

What have I learned, after all this browsing? The easiest way to get over stress is to accept that it will always be a part of life and that happiness depends on how well one can cope with it.

Additional Links

Talk About Stress
Get first hand info from health experts and specialists on stress relievers, time management tips and more.

Get a Grip on Your Life
Guide on how progressive relaxation, meditation, and self-hypnosis can help you cope with the stress of everyday life.

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