 Coping with and preventing stress. Cope with. When you cope with a difficult problem or situation, you succeed in dealing with it. Exercise and support groups are some ways that people cope with stress. Reduce. Reduce means to make something smaller. If you are under a lot of stress, finding ways to reduce your stressors will help reduce your stress. Exercise. Physical activity that helps you stay strong and healthy is exercise. Exercise also helps reduce stress. Yoga is a form of exercise that can reduce stress. Talk. When you talk with someone, you have a conversation with them. Talking with friends and family can help you find solutions to your problems and reduce stress. Meditation. Meditation is the act of giving your attention to one thing and emptying your mind of other thoughts and feelings. It is a way of relaxing your mind. Prayer. Prayer is the act or ceremony of speaking to God or gods. Prayer is often used to give thanks or ask for help or guidance. Healthy food. Healthy food is food that is good for you. Eating healthy food can increase your energy level and prevent disease. It can also improve your mood. Limit. When you stop something from getting bigger, you limit it. One way to reduce stress is to limit your contact with stressors. Alcohol. Alcohol is a substance found in drinks like beer, wine and liquor. Drinking alcohol can cause changes in behavior. Drinking alcohol is not a good way to cope with stress. Tobacco. Tobacco is the dried leaves from a plant that are smoked in cigarettes, pipes or cigars. Smoking tobacco is bad for your health and is not a good way to cope with stress. Hobby. A hobby is something that you do for pleasure. Sporting, playing sports and doing yoga are examples of hobbies. Having a hobby can help reduce stress. Relax. When you relax, you reduce stress by doing little or nothing at all. Some people relax by sitting outdoors. Other people relax by reading a book. The End.