A few weeks ago, a man was arrested in Webb City for shooting his TV. Many times I’ve wanted to do this, but didn’t realize it was a felony.

But seriously, there is more to his story. The man was stressed out because his cable TV had been shut off, and the poor TV set was just the symbolic victim of his anger. He’s lucky he didn’t hurt himself or others.

YouTube has a number of mental meltdown videos, such as the woman who missed her plane, or the woman dissing her cheating husband. Actor Christian Bale recently had a widely publicized rant.

No one is immune to the effects of stress. Stress can cause debilitating physical and mental symptoms including headaches, anxiety, chronic fatigue, sadness, depression and gastrointestinal ailments.

Stress comes from so many sources, especially for college students – finances, tests, deadlines, roommates, boyfriends, girlfriends and lack of sleep just to name a few.

A little stress is a good thing. It provides the adrenaline needed to perform well physically or focus mentally. But if the stress doesn’t go away, it can be a bad thing.

Experts suggest a number of techniques for stress relief and physical activity is at the top of every list.

Stress relief does not come in a long-neck bottle (or a bong, if you’re an Olympic swimmer).

I use golf and tennis for stress relief because I can imagine the face of the stressor on the exterior of the ball just before I slam it as hard as I can with a titanium club. Retail therapy (shopping) also works for me, even on a budget. And all too often, I have consulted Ben & Jerry for stress relief.

Stress often gets worse as we age, with jobs, mortgages, kids and other commitments. Be creative and find a stress relief method that works and do it often. And whatever you do, don’t forget to pay your cable TV bill.