Have you recently had an aggravating day at work? Of course you have. Interacting with people on a regular basis involves dealing with their “stuff,” or “baggage.” This can be taxing and even intolerable at times (even with nice people) and lead people to do things they later regretted.

As a result, some people take their frustrations out on others. For example, take the man who comes home and starts to ridicule his wife sarcastically because the dinner was not prepared according to a five star hotel. Or, the person who begins their youth sports practice with a group of 12-year olds and aggressively yells at them for not performing at a desired level. Is this necessary? What did these innocent people do to deserve this?

There is a better way to deal with everyday stress and negative emotions. To be free of fear, anger and other negative emotions, words alone may not be enough. A person may need to channel these emotions on a physical level, whether that happens through basketball, swimming, lifting weights, yoga, massage, or deep-breathing exercises.

For example, if you are feeling angry or anxiety, it is unlikely that you can just talk yourself out of these feelings or simply count to 10 and expect your feelings to disappear entirely. Emotions have a physical reality. You harbor emotions in your body, and your body needs avenues for dealing with them. If you don’t have a healthy outlet for your emotions, this could lead to unpleasant relations with your family, friends and co-workers in the short run, and in the long run, could lead to illness, ulcers, disease and even cancer.

The mind never works alone. It has a lifelong companion called the body, which must must involve in any program of change or healing. Through the use of conscious exercise and sport, you can better process your emotions and lead a healthy lifestyle in the short term and long term. The trick is having self-awareness at the time of stress and not letting your emotions control you.