Up until now — "now" being the wildest presidential election of all time — most Americans stressed over three things. First is work. If you're unemployed, hate your job or work too hard for too long, you are stressed, whether you realize it or not.

Your body knows it, and over time, stress lowers your resistance, saps your strength, and greatly raises the chances of your "coming down with something." The "something" includes headaches, heart disease, cancer, indigestion, low-back pain and so much more that it stresses me out to even bring it up.

Another leading source of stress is money, according to the Harris Poll surveys done for the last 10 years by the American Psychological Association. How much do I earn? Are they paying him double for the same work I do? How did my credit-card debt exceed the cost of my first car?

Stress over money also screws around with your bodily functions, causing symptoms, sickness and expensive visits to the doctor. This isn't speculation, dear readers. It's a fact. More than 75 percent of medical problems you're likely to experience in your life are either caused or made worse by chronic, unrelieved stress.

Guess what the third-leading cause of stress is. Your 14-year-old's coming home with a stud in her tongue? Your husband's refusal to ask for directions ever ? Nope. It's the economy, involving job growth, global trade and the ups and downs of stocks and bonds.

"Historically, work, money and the economy are the top three," says clinical psychologist Lynn Bufka, part of the APA team that reported on the latest Stress in America survey for 2016.

This year, she explains, is dramatically different. More than half of Americans — whether donkeys, elephants or don't-knows — say the 2016 election is a major source of stress, right up there with the top three.

What? There's gambling in Casablanca?!

Of course this election is a major source of stress in America. You'd have to be dead not to notice how ugly things have gotten, how crude and crazy-making. It should be causing stress, and because it is, I want to remind you of a few strategies you can use to lessen the harmful effects. Don't thank me. It's what I'm here for:

GET PHYSICAL. You've heard it before, and it's as true as ever: Going for a brisk walk or a long run or jumping on your bike is a quick and easy way to reduce and release stress. It's like pouring Drano down a clogged sink, except Drano is toxic and exercise spreads bliss by way of releasing natural chemicals that get you high on joy. This election is not sparking a lot of joy, not yet, so you have to do it for yourself. Exercise will do it, and so will exercising your right to vote. (I had to sneak that in. It relieves my stress.)

SIT STILL AND BREATHE. Meditation and mindfulness are now mainstream, and it'll be easier to go with the flow of the 2016 election if you take the time to slow down, sit quietly, and breathe, stopping the unending doom-and-gloom chatter that stirs up anxiety. Calming your mind — for even 10 minutes a day — is restorative and rejuvenating to the body. It's the medical miracle of connecting mind and body. And it's free. And it's guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, falling under the category of "Pursuit of Happiness." If you want to stay energized and optimistic between now and Nov. 9, do the practice.

FEEL GOOD BY DOING GOOD. This may sound like it's coming from left field, or right field, but the field of positive psychology tells us that helping others takes the focus off your worries and helps you feel gratitude for the life you have. It doesn't solve the problem. It doesn't guarantee Supreme Court justices who support your point of view. Serving meals to the homeless, volunteering at your local school or helping an elderly neighbor shop for groceries won't change the world, but it will change your inner state for a while. Your body will be flooded with positive feedback from the people you've served, and that will help you rise above the next news cycle.

You're now free to go and play.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! STRESS HAPPENS

"It's not stress that kills us. It is our reaction to it." — Hans Selye

Marilynn Preston — healthy lifestyle expert, well being coach and Emmy-winning producer — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, marilynnpreston.com, and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. She also produces EnExTV, a digital reincarnation of her award-winning TV series about sports, fitness and adventure, for kids of all ages, at youtube.com/EnExTV and facebook.com/EnExTV. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.