If your health permits, you may want to play basketball, softball, soccer or some other team sport as part of a recreational sports league. However, you should always be sure to clear any kind of physical activity with your physician beforehand. Regular exercise also can do a great deal in helping to manage your stress, and is discussed below.

4. Stress management. The daily stresses of life, as well as those associated with managing your daily treatment regimen, can impair your quality of life. As a result, it is important for you to develop a stress management plan or routine and follow it consistently.

Healthy coping strategies include relaxation, physical exercise, communication and social support. To manage stress effectively, a combination is a good strategy.

Relaxation renews the body and spirit. It means more than just sleeping or vegetating in front of the television. It includes taking a walk, listening to music or an inspirational tape or talking with a friend or family member.

You can practice specific activities designed to help you relax body and mind. These activities include:

• Relaxation exercises. These activities focus on relaxing the body, with the idea that the mind cannot be at peace while the body is tense. You may tend to hold tension in certain parts of your body without even realizing it. These activities help to release that tension and contribute to a more sound peace of mind.
  
  
• Meditation exercises. These activities set your mind on a journey while the body remains still. Still meditation can be performed almost anywhere to relieve excessive stress, such as while waiting to see a doctor, in the morning to start the day in a positive frame of mind, to put a problem into perspective and many other situations.
  
  
• Breathing exercises. These activities create a physical change in your body through controlled breathing. When you are under stress, your breathing patterns change, creating a physical response to their emotional stress. Breathing activities can help restore a sense of calm and control.
  
  
• Visualization. These activities combine aspects of meditation and relaxation to place your body and mind at rest. Visualization correctly uses all the senses as it focuses on a particular object or situation.