ISLAMABAD: World events, like the Orlando mass shooting, can be overwhelmingly stressful even if you’re nowhere near the crime scene. When images of death and heartbreak fill your screens, they can also fill your heart with dread and worry. There are stresses we can’t control; then, there are difficult life events we know we’ll have to get through. Whether you’re stressing over financial woes or a romantic relationship on the rocks, the anxiety can wreak havoc on your body if you can’t get it under control. For some, stress throws the digestive system out of whack resulting in bloating and diarrhea or constipation, for others, muscle tension can lead to sore backs and necks as well as throbbing heads. Each age group has its own common stressors. Here’s Moore’s advice on how to relax at every life stage: People in their 20s are the most stressed out generation of our time, Moore said. They’re graduating from college, worrying about college debts, looking for a job, dating and dealing with the constant social media comparisons. People in 30s are managing a lot of extra responsibilities both at work and at home, as they climb their way up the career ladder and become parents and home owners. Solution: Make time with friends a priority. You may be skipping socializing unintentionally as responsibilities pile up, but spending time with good friends lowers the stress hormone cortisol. People in their 40s are the “sandwich generation” — they worry about their growing kids and their aging parents. They also have to start thinking about their own health and fitness differently. Solution: Make laughter a really big priority. The average 4-year-old laughs 300 times a day, while the average 40-year-old laughs only four times a day, Moore said. Don’t forget to have fun and maintain a sense of wonder about life. People in 50s are planning for retirement and watching your kids move out of the house at this stage of life can be jolting. Solution: Take up yoga, which boosts endorphins and lowers blood pressure. The practice improves your overall well-being, Moore said. A little stress can actually be a good thing, motivating us to work hard and get ahead, experts say. But constant stress and worry over the long haul can damage our bodies. “The stress response was made for short-term acute stress, like needing to run away from a bear or a saber tooth tiger,” said David Victorson, an associate professor of medical social sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a health psychologist at Northwestern Medicine. “It’s been a part of the human process since the beginning. But stressors today can be much more chronic and we’re ill-equipped to deal with that.”