By Mary Elizabeth Terzella

Where there’s caregiving, there’s stress—that muscle-tensing, stomach-churning feeling that comes from having too many demands on your time. But suffering with the symptoms of stress is the least of it. Chronic tension suppresses your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness. Recent research comparing caregiving spouses to others who didn’t have the same burden found that caregivers’ stress hormone levels were 23 percent higher than those of their non-caregiving counterparts. They also had lower levels of disease-fighting antibodies. This is why it is crucial to find ways to take stress-relieving breaks.

Here, some proven ways to get relief that fits into your schedule:

If you have 10 minutes…

Hold Hands With Your Honey

Research shows a quick hug and 10 minutes of hand-holding greatly reduces the harmful effects of a stressful situation by reducing blood pressure and heart rate. In a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study, couples who held hands were nearly twice as relaxed as those who didn’t have comforting contact. Loving touch in the morning "could protect you throughout a stressful day," says study coauthor Karen Grewen, Ph.D. To increase the stress-proofing powers of cuddling, do it daily. "Repeated episodes may reduce the negative effects of life’s hassles on your body," she says.

Unattached? Hug a pal or stroke a dog or cat. Petting a four-legged friend also has been shown to lower stress.

If you have 20 minutes…

Take a Relaxation Break

More than 30 years of research has found that meditation is an antidote to anxiety—in fact, brain scans suggest it may rewire the brain to reduce stress. In a West Virginia University study, people who participated in an eight-week program of "mindfulness meditation" experienced a 44 percent reduction in psychological distress.

Meditation has been shown to trigger the body’s relaxation response, reducing blood pressure, muscle tension, and heart rate. Simply repeat a soothing phrase like "Let it go," says Herbert Benson, M.D., president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Do this in a quiet place for about 10 or 20 minutes a day. When other thoughts come to mind, banish them by repeating the phrase again and again. "I’ve had people with severe symptoms of stress try this and say it transforms their lives," says Dr. Benson.

If you have 30 minutes…

Break a Sweat

Exercise is the number-one tension tamer, and the more you pick up the pace, the lower your levels of stress, suggests a University of Missouri at Columbia study. While just 30 minutes of both moderate and high-intensity exercise lowered anxiety, the more strenuous session worked best. The high-intensity group’s anxiety decreased continuously until the last time it was measured, 90 minutes after exercise.

Exercise also lowers levels of a stress triggered chemical, interluekin-6, which has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. A new study suggests that caregivers’ stress may make them especially vulnerable to high levels of IL-6.

If you have an HOUR or so...

Have Lunch With a Friend

Researchers have found that connecting with friends helps lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety, and may even help you live longer. And it just may be a woman’s natural weapon against stress. During stressful times, we all produce oxytocin, a pituitary hormone that research suggests helps counter the stress response. In men, however, testosterone blunts oxytocin’s relaxing effects; in women, estrogen enhances oxytocin and encourages them to bond with friends. When they do, even more of the hormone is released, according to studies at University of California at Los Angeles.

Or…Take a Yoga Class

After 50 minutes of yoga, levels of the stress hormone cortisol dropped, even in people trying it for the first time, according to researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

If you have an AFTERNOON...

Try Movie Therapy

But be sure to see or rent a comedy. Stress is no laughing matter—but getting relief may be, according to recent research. Studies by Lee S. Berk, Ph.D., of the University of California-Irvine College of Medicine, found that chuckling over a funny video lowers blood pressure and stress hormones —and simply anticipating tuning into a comedy that typically tickles your funny bone can ease anxiety. (It reduced levels of three stress hormones by 38 percent to 78 percent and boosted levels of those feel-good chemicals, endorphins.)

Why is laughter such good medicine? According to research in the journal Neuron, giggling activates the brain’s reward centers—the same area affected by euphoria-inducing drugs such as cocaine.

If you have a WEEKEND...

Take a Vacation

Even if it is just a vacation from chores. Whether you take a trip or spend the weekend reading, allowing yourself a rest from constantly doing will rejuvenate you. "The key is to do something that you enjoy," says Paul J. Rosch, M.D., a clinical professor of medicine and psychiatry at New York Medical College and president of the American Institute of Stress. "There is no stress-reduction strategy that works for everyone." A spa weekend may be your idea of bliss—someone else might find it boring.

If you stay at home, consider sending your laundry to the wash-and-fold and ordering takeout so you really get some R&R. But you may also need to set some rules for yourself (and for other family members) in order to benefit. Let your answering machine pick up and post a "do not disturb" sign on the door. Listen to messages or check in with the family when you take a lunch or tea break.