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Stress has become a part of the fabric of our busy lives, but it wreaks havoc on our health-and our lives. When you are under mental pressure, adrenaline is released from the adrenal gland that tells the body to convert stored sugar from the liver to glucose because the energy needs of the body increase substantially during the supposed fight-or-flight scenario. The bad news is that this scenario almost never plays out and the excess blood sugar that never got used up ends up being stored as fat.

One of two things can happen from a prolonged survival mode. One: Your body will keep storing up excess sugar as fat and asking for more energy from more sugar! This equals weight gain. Two: All of this stress and colossal effort continually depletes your body of its energy resources until it inevitably crumples under the overload. This can lead to such conditions as adrenal exhaustion, nervous breakdown, or a broken down immune system. The vicious circle repeats itself over and over again and people never seem to be able to get out of the rat race.

Here are some healthy habits you can integrate into your daily grind to free yourself from stress.

1. Cut the Caffeine: Caffeine stimulates the adrenaline release. Give up the cup of coffee and opt for the therapeutic benefits of caffeine-free herbal teas. Or you can cut down on your caffeine intake by substituting coffee with green tea, which usually has 1/3 of the caffeine as compared to a cup of coffee-but with the benefits of the antioxidant polyphenols.

2. Cleanse the Clutter.