four ways to wallop your worries

No matter what your source of angst-a bitchy boss, a noncommittal boyfriend, overdue bills - these superquick tricks will put a halt to dread-head.

Use a pal as your reality check.

Ask a bud whose judgment you trust to act as a stress sounding board for 10 minutes every few days. Use this gripe session to air anxiety and find out how to handle problems and worries, suggests Mark Gorkin, founder of StressDoc.com and author of Practice Safe Stress (AdviceZone.com, 2000). Hearing her perspective will give you another view of the situation and help you see that things aren't as unmanageable as you think.

Watch The Simpsons

Or another sure-to-make-you-snicker show. "Laughing gives your body a brief but hardy internal workout that naturally infuses you with a sense of well-being," says Gorkin.

Sweat It Out

Aerobic activity releases endorphins, our body's natural mood relaxers. So if work is making you crazy, go for a brisk 30-minute stroll in the park. Or if your mind is racing at night, zip around and clean your apartment. As Gorkin points out, "Anything that ups your heart rate will help."

Picture Peace

"Visualizing soothing scenarios induces a chemical change in our bodies that calms us down," says Bill Crawford, Ph.D., a Houston-based psychologist and author of All Stressed Up and Nowhere to Go (Florence Publishing, 1996). So when you're wound up, imagine yourself on the beach or snuggled up in bed and watch your worries float away.

Gina Zucker