Ways to alleviate stress during high-pressure times

Here are ways to alleviate stress during high-pressure times:

- Make a plan. Anxiety comes from a fear of the unknown. Forming a plan - making arrangements for the pets, volunteering to sandbag - allows you to take back a sense of control, said John Lyon, a licensed independent clinical social worker at The Village Family Service Center in Fargo.

- Help others. When James and Darcy Simonson's River Drive home in Fargo was threatened by floodwaters, Darcy made it her mission to feed the volunteers. By the end of the flood, she and friends had baked 1,200 cookies. "It was a tremendous healing thing for me," Simonson said. "We wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of."

- Make connections. Whether touching base with friends or brainstorming with neighbors on a flood plan, the sense that we're all in this together can help.

- Heed self-care. Eat sensibly, limit use of alcohol and caffeine, exercise and try to get enough sleep.

- Practice relaxation. Yoga, meditation, massage and relaxing music can all lower our stress response.

- Write. Journals, letters and social networking sites can help people express feelings. Last year Simonson's friends found comfort in her Facebook posts.

- Take a news break. The constant stream of information can overwhelm.

- Have faith. Prayer, connections with church members and talks with spiritual advisers can help during stressful times. Atheists or agnostics can also find solace in focusing on something greater than yourself - like the sense of community in a flood fight, says the Rev. Steve Sellers of Fargo.

- For more tips, go to www.apahelpcenter.org or www.redcross.org (click on "Getting Assistance").