You know this, right? I should go for a walk. I should hit the gym after work. I should make my run a little longer. I should finally open that Pilates video. The “shoulds” rarely work.

Whether you work from home, in a cubicle, or at a call center, you likely take a few breaks during the day (rare though they may be).

In honor of Stress Awareness Month, we’ve made it our goal to strengthen your resilience (“Do this”) and hold the line against stress (“Ditch that”).

In honor of Stress Awareness Month, we’ve made it our goal to strengthen your resilience (“Do this”) and hold the line against stress (“Ditch that”).

The research keeps rolling in: Sitting for long periods of time every day is not good for our bodies. A new study published last month raised the stakes even higher.

How many articles have you read touting exercise as the antidote to stress? A billion? You know that exercise is perhaps your most potent tool for calming the frazzled psyche and caring for the body.

Perfectionism Tonic Think about a moment when you wanted something (Christmas, perhaps?) to turn out perfectly. And how tense and judgy that made you–how separate from the people you love.

Holiday Nerve Tonic Round about this time, the holidays can start to feel like a grind. Anticipation builds right next to less sleep, more sweets, possible yucky weather, maybe no exercise.

This post by Jan Bruce, CEO and co-founder of meQuilibrium, first appeared on Forbes.com.

This post by Jan Bruce, CEO and co-founder of meQuilibrium, first appeared on Forbes.com.

  Exercise is one of the most potent stress-reducers on the planet—and yet, in the irony of ironies, it’s the one thing far too many of us don’t make time for.

  When you move, consistently, vigorously, a little or a lot, you help your body do what it was designed to do. Pick any activity—yoga, running, dancing, even just walking, and do it often.