If you are one of the millions of stressed-out Americans, there's good news. People can learn to manage stress. Start with these tips:

Keep a positive attitude
Accept that there are events that you cannot control.
Be assertive instead of aggressive. "Assert" your feelings, opinions, or beliefs instead of becoming angry, defensive, or passive.
Learn and practice relaxation techniques.
Exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit.
Eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
Get enough rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.
Don't rely on alcohol or drugs to reduce stress.
Seek out social support.
Learn to manage your time more effectively.

Stress makes us fat in several ways.
First, although the behavioral response to stress is often thought to be a primary reason for weight gain (e.g. we reach for the Haagen-Dazs when we feel stressed out), there are two very powerful physiological reasons for the link between stress and weight gain.

Whenever we are under stress, our bodies release its primary stress hormone – known as cortisol. In the body, cortisol is a potent signal to do two things – increase appetite and store fat. This means that whenever we’re under stress, the increased cortisol in our body tells our brain that we’re hungry, while at the same time telling our fat cells to store as much fat as they can (and then hold on to it as tightly as possible).