But you don't have to meditate or go to a biofeedback clinic to avoid stress. "I meditate regularly, but when I am feeling unusually stressed I practice yoga or go exercise or tend to my garden, or I hang out with family or even just read and write," Santorelli says. "You have to become aware of what calms you best."

For Jean King, Ph.D., of the UMass Medical School, listening to music, going for a walk, or exercising always seems to put her mind at ease. "I love the water, so if I'm having a rough day I just go and look at it. I don't even have to go in, all I have to do is be near it."

Boston University biologist Eric Widmaier, Ph.D., confides that he used to combat stress by running and exercising. But I've changed to a more thoughtful approach." He is an advocate of "internal conversations" in which he asks himself, "am I doing the right thing." But the most important technique, he says, is "to learn to say no. People are constantly pushing at us by asking for favors.