How You Can Handle Stress
Stress is known to play a key role in many chronic illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. But there has been relatively little research on how people manage their response to stress by engaging in behaviors that worsen their health, such as smoking, excessive use of alcohol, and over eating. At Yale Stress Center, we invite you to learn more about the effects of stress on your helth, and ways to handle stress in your life by visiting the sites listed below:
Learn more about stress
To learn more about stress, its effects on health and suggestions for relief, visit the website of the American Institute of Stress. At the AIS website, you can also participate in a short questionnaire to assess your level of stress in the workplace.
Learn more about the effects of smoking
To access information on smoking, including related health effects and how you can quit, visit the website of the Centers for Disease Control.
For further information on smoking's effects on your health, including harmful effects to your digestive system, please visit the website of the National Institutes of Health's NIDDK.
Learn more about the effects of alcohol misuse
For more information on alcohol abuse and dependence, please visit the website of the National Institutes of Health's NIAAA.
Learn more about healthy eating and weight control
For further information on the basics of nutrition including links to dietary guidelines and healthy recipes, please visit the website of the CDC.
To calculate your body mass index, take a portion distortion quiz, plan menus, and determine your 10-year heart attack risk, please visit the website of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

Dr. Rajita Sinha, director of the Yale Stress Center, talks about the interplay of stress, self-control and problems with alcohol, tobacco and food addiction. You can