While many begin their year with various resolutions, one in particular might be overlooked as a potential improvement.

Reduce your stress, before it makes you sick.

Dr. Elliot Smith, an internal medicine practitioner with Butler Health System, said reducing stress should be a focal point for some, especially those whose stress is severe enough to manifest into physical symptoms.

Stress can cause headaches, gastrointestinal problems, sleep disorders and chest pains, Smith said in a recent interview. It can also complicate or aggravate a pre-existing cardiovascular condition, he added.

“These people are at risk for more long-term complications,” he said. “Everybody is a little different on where they put their stress.”

Smith said many people will confuse physical symptoms of stress with other conditions. He said people experiencing chest pain often mistake their pain for a heart attack.

“It occurs in my office on a daily basis,” he said.

Smith said stress usually pairs with anxiety. He called stress and anxiety a problematic duo.

“The big thing about stress and anxiety is that it feeds upon itself,” he said.

Smith said a lot of people fall into bouts of anxiety and depression resulting from prolonged periods of stress. He said people feed into their anxiety by overthinking their problems, which can lead to fatigue.

“We have a strong draw to control things we can't control,” Smith said. “There's nothing more tiring than worrying all day.”

Smith said the American lifestyle is inherently stressful. Americans work more hours than most people in the world and are barraged with negativity on a daily basis through mass media and other means. He said most people don't want to give up this lifestyle, either.

“Most people are looking for an instant kind of fix,” he said.

Smith said he tries to give his patients a few suggestions before resorting to medication.

Smith recommends a song “Weightless,” performed by the band Marconi Union, for people who are having problems getting to sleep at night due to stress-induced anxiety. The eight-minute song's ambient sounds and heartbeat rhythm are naturally relaxing.

Smith said the song is meant to synchronize with and comfort the listener's body while gently slowing the heart rate until the person falls asleep.

Smith said for those struggling with other symptoms of stress, finding a healthy balance of stress is important. He said people should avoid anxiety-inducing behavior and foods in their diet, like caffeine and chocolate. He said he also recommends for people to find time to clear their minds through meditation.

Setting up a routine helps people find a rhythm with their day and can lead to a healthier lifestyle, he said. This means a person should try to eat, sleep and exercise at the same time each day. He said doing so will also allow for planning time for meditation.

“The idea is to get someone to slow down for 20 minutes,” he said.

Smith said exercise is also a great way to burn off the extra adrenaline that anxiety produces, and it offers a good time to forget about woes and focus on something simple, slowing down the person's mind while staying active.

According to a recent article published by the American Psychological Association, some psychologists believe exercise helps on a chemical level. Preliminary evidence suggests physically active people have lower rates of anxiety and depression than sedentary people, the article concludes, but little work has focused yet on why that is.

Although coping with stress is something individuals must do on their own, people should avoid self-diagnosing their problems as being caused by stress, Smith said. He said people should see a doctor the moment they develop persistent physical symptoms.

“People shouldn't decide it's just stress,” he said. “Physical symptoms need to be evaluated by a physician fully before being blamed on stress.”

Smith said he's able to give individual patients suggestions on how they can improve their lives and can enlist the help of psychological or spiritual therapists to help them continue to deal with their stress.

“In my office, I can kind of guide my patients, but it's up to them,” Smith said.