Here are four simple tips to kick off your week. Listen to my podcast and watch my video for more tips. And of course, much more can be found in my Secrets of Longevity 8-Week Program ebook.

Tip #1:

Take a Stress Inventory

Make a list of what is stressing you out. Separate the list into what you can control and what you cannot. For the stressors you cannot control, take a thick sharpie marker, write a big x across the list, and say aloud to yourself, "since these stressors are beyond my control, I am now letting them go and detaching them from my being forever." If you believe in God or a higher power, you can say, "I now surrender them to God or the higher power." You can also write these items down on a separate piece of paper and then burn it as you say the words to release the stressors that you cannot control from your being. Do this regularly.

Tip #2:

Shift Your Perspective

There is no question some things are bad in your life. Now, look at others who are worse off—the people living on the streets, the orphans, and those who are terminally ill. Put yourself in their shoes and focus on the good, the silver lining for which you can be grateful. Some of you may know about my near-death experience when I fell from the rooftop of our three-story house. After waking up from my brain damage coma and broken spine, I was unable to walk. I was depressed for quite a while until I saw other kids who were hooked up to ventilators and unable to move at all. At least I had my arms, so I started to train my upper body and became quite good at the high bars, parallel bars, and gymnastic rings.

Tip #3:

Release your Fears.

Fears don't just disappear unless you temporarily numb them with alcohol or drugs, which can lead to addiction and other serious health problems. Instead, seek to uncover the root of your fears and address them methodically. If your fear is about money, then take an inventory and confront the truth of where you are financially and then put steps into place to get out of debt and get into the positive. My fear of heights stayed with me for a long time. Every time I got into an elevator going up above three stories, I started to feel panic set in. Over the years, I challenged myself with the ropes course, and my fear got less and less each time. My father, a physician, also prescribed essential oils for me. Most people don't know that essential oil has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Now I can ride elevators without any fear.

The essential oil blend my father prescribed me long ago led me to develop the Calm Aromatherapy rollerball. It contains lavender, rosemary, mandarin, and other herbs known for their calming and stress-lowering benefits. Before and after saliva test studies show that when subjects inhaled scents of lavender and rosemary for five minutes, their saliva showed a consistent decrease of the stress hormone cortisol. Mandarin, on the other hand, is more than just a fruit. Research has confirmed that this sweet, citrusy scent offers calming benefits thanks to its anti-anxiety properties. Additionally, Mandarin can also help promote restful sleep. It may also help to lift your mood and overall sense of well-being. When combined with acupressure points just above your wrist crease called Inner Gate (see chart), the essential oils in the Calm Aromatherapy keeps your stress from getting the best of you. Get it here.

Tip #4:

Honoring your Best Self

Write down all the qualities you like about yourself and ask those you respect who know you well to tell you what they like about you. After restoring the full use of my legs, I felt insecure about my athletic abilities. It took a long while and hard work to get them back. In the ensuing years, I discovered that I was good at math, so I doubled down on my studies and received a math award for the school year, which gave me confidence during my critical early teen years. Resilience doesn't mean bouncing back to the same place you were after a setback but instead takes you to a better place on your journey. For more stress-reducing strategies, check out my father's book: Less Stress, More HappinessStress, More Happiness, here.

Pick one or more tips from above or more from my 8-Week ebook and practice the routine daily for the next seven days. Listen to my audio podcast here and watch my video here.

Reduce Stress & Lift Your Mood- Week 4 of Dr. Mao's 8-Week Longevity Program