2. Art Therapy
Art therapy may sound like child's play, but it's a powerful ally against stress, an irregular heartbeat and heart disease. Creative pursuits – like journal writing, music, dance, painting, sculpting, sketching, collage, even quilt-making – can decrease anxiety, stress and mood disturbances, according to a 2010 review of studies published in the American Journal of Public Health.

In fact, hospitals often incorporate creativity techniques into their healing programs: Cleveland Clinic offers it to its Heart & Vascular Institute patients. Veterans hospitals use art therapy to relieve depression ^[1] and anxiety, especially for post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Art therapy is a wonderful way to empty your mind and reconnect to the present – similar to meditation," says board-certified art therapist Joan Stanford, who leads art "playshops" at the Mendocino Center for Wellbeing in California. "With stress, you feel boxed in, overwhelmed, tightly wound. By 'playing' with materials, words or ideas, you unwind, release pressure and enjoy the process."

Try it: Don't worry, you don't have to be "artsy." Here are Stanford's tips for stirring creative juices:

1. Set the stage for a meditative environment with candles and soothing sounds.

2. Breathe slowly, close your eyes and savor the moment.

3. Write for 15 minutes, choosing a specific topic, such as something that worries you, or whatever comes to mind. Need inspiration? Fill a sack with random items, Stanford suggests. Then reach in, pull out an object and write about it for 5 minutes. "Let the object speak to you," she says.

4. Not a word person? Then just doodle on a sheet of unlined paper. "Using one pen, let your hand move around the page in all directions," Stanford says. "Allow overlapping and looping."

5. If you're right-handed, try doodling with your left hand or vice versa. Or close your eyes.

6. With different-colored markers, pens, chalk, pastels, pencils or watercolors, outline any shapes suggested by your scribbles. "For example, a circle may resemble a head, balloon or sun," Stanford says. "Add eyes, strings, rays or whatever the shape seems to ask for." Rotate the page in different directions to see more options.

7. When the page feels finished, give it a title. Or keep an art journal with your drawings.