Stress Much?

How do you guys deal with stress?

I'm stressing out about a lot of things in my life--work life and personal life combined. See, the thing is, one aspect interferes with the other (and vice versa). It's a vicious cycle that never seems to end.

My friends tell me that to get rid of stress, you have to get rid of the root cause of it. Hmm... in my case, it's hard to pinpoint exactly which is the root--work or personal life?

Stress from work is normal and I think I can handle that more than the stress in my personal life (which includes family, love (or the lack of it), friends, etc.. etc..) With work, I deal with stress by laughing at things. If I make a mistake or if there's a student who gives me a headache with all his/her never ending questions, I just smile and explain again...and again...and again....

As for the personal life... everything is in shambles... I'm confused, I'm troubled, my mind is spinning in a vortex of worries, high hopes and shattered dreams... I need to try to make it stop. I find absolutely no laughter in my personal life. I need to find myself, but outside forces pull me back thinking that i'm more "sheltered" if they don't let go of me. I'm gonna go berserk! I want to saw off that short leash they tied around my life!

If I were a bird, my wings would either be clipped by now or stunted its growth to a full wing span.

So, I ask you again, how do you deal with stress?