In an age of uncertainty, trust one certainty: You can run but you can’t hide from stress. Each day, in fact, is a sort of Darwinian stress test. Survive Day 14,600—that would be 40 years held hostage as a living organism—and you are entitled to repeat the drill on day 14,601. And on any given day, stress can arrive on an almost hourly basis.

Sure, the big stressors take their toll: illness, job loss, divorce. Pretty much any experience that would make a good country song will be a source of stress. But while every man’s life is stressed by big changes, it’s stressed by little annoyances, too. And those are the ones you can take action against—the mundane slings and arrows that each day push us closer to the edge. Let’s take a look at some of the typical stressors men face on a daily basis and see if we can’t come up with some practical solutions to these many mini-dilemmas.

Beat Worry To The Punch

You wake up in the morning and all the stress of the coming day hits you like a bucket of ice water: The annual budget report is due, you’re having lunch with your boss, and you have to make a presentation to the board this afternoon!

Stop! That’s the sound of worry, and worry is a chronic form of stress that will wear you down to a nub if you don’t get it under control. When it becomes an endless loop, it can trigger what experts call “neural hijacking.” Studies conducted at Pennsylvania State University found that the best way to break the cycle is to catch the fret as near to its beginning as possible. The minute a vision of doom and gloom arises, stop and challenge your concerns.

Question their plausibility. Is there really a chance in hell the dreaded event will happen? What constructive steps can you take to make sure it doesn’t? By becoming aware of it when it starts and applying a dose of healthy skepticism, you can nip worry in the bud.

Wrestle With The Kids

You’re tired from a long day at work, and you just want to be left alone. Well, you’re cheating yourself. Children are the reward for this hard day. One survey of 300 couples found that men experienced greater distress when their wives were doing proportionately more child care. Why?

Because the kids are the reward for going through the rest of our stressed-out lives. Men who didn’t spend as much time with their children reported a variety of unhealthy physical symptoms.

Stress Proof Your Sex Life

The workday is done. The chores are done. You’re exhausted. And now—unbelievable as it may seem—she’s standing there with nothing on but a Barry White CD. And all you can think is: Not another performance. Stressed-out guys often shortchange themselves in the sex department. But this is the performance that can make the whole day worthwhile, if you play it right.

Here’s how to rev up your sex drive when your stress levels are in overdrive. First, play hard to get—merely as a decoy to buy some time to marshal your formidable sexual forces. On the pretext of putting out the dog, go outside for five minutes. Breathe deeply. Take in oxygen. Relax. Tense your muscles. Loosen them. The object here is to let go of your mind by focusing on your body. Even better, invite your partner outside with you. You can call it stress reduction; she’ll probably call it romance.

Conquer stress, depression and anxiety with Conquering Stress.