Can you reduce your own stress and anxiety by saying just one word? You can -- and there's scientific research that shows how it works. That insight comes from Marina Harris, a sports psychologist at North Carolina State University and a former competitive gymnast who retired from the sport due to an injury. In an article at Psychology Today, Harris describes how she struggled with anxious thoughts herself until she discovered cue-controlled relaxation. Cue controlled-relaxation is a technique that pairs a calming relaxation exercise with a specific cue, such as a word or phrase, until one evokes the other in a conditioned response. If the mere smell of coffee brewing in the morning makes you feel more alert, that could be an example of a conditioned response you've already learned. The cue-controlled relaxation technique Harris used has been shown in experiments to help people with anxiety around things like taking tests or going to the dentist. It's so logical that it se...