Have you ever met a woman who radiated serenity and calm? Who seemed impervious to stress, taking everything in her stride? As the author of this wonderful book suggests, if you asked such a woman what her secret was, she would probably offer the following tips for living a stress-free life.

These wise guidelines are worth passing along to your friends:

Cultivate gratitude.
Carve out an hour a day for solitude.
Begin and end the day with prayer, meditation, or reflection.
Keep it simple.
Keep your house picked up.
Don’t overscheduled.
Strive for realistic deadlines.
Never make a promise you can’t keep.
Allow an extra half hour for everything you do.
Create quiet surroundings at home and at work.
Go to bed at 9 o’clock twice a week.
Breathe–deeply and often.
Move–walk, dance, run, find a sport you enjoy.
Drink pure spring water. Lots of it.
Eat only when you’re hungry.
If it’s not delicious, don’t eat it.
Be instead of do.
Set aside one day a week for rest and renewal.
Laugh more often.
Luxuriate in your senses.
Always opt for comfort.
If you don’t love it, live without it.
Let Mother Nature nurture.
Don’t answer the telephone during dinner.
Stop trying to please everybody.
Start pleasing yourself.
Stay away from negative people.
Don’t squander precious resources: time, creative energy, emotion.
Nurture friendships.
Don’t be afraid of your passion.
Approach problems as challenges instead.
Honor your aspirations.
Surrender expectations.
Savor beauty.
Create boundaries.
Exchange security for serenity.
Care for your soul.
Express love every day.
Search for your authentic self until you find her.