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Pole dancing touted as stress relief tacticIf you thought screaming into a pillow or drinking yourself oblivious were the only ways to relieve stress, we have good news!

Cambridge University is now offering its female students pole-dancing lessons to help them cope ... in the same hall where Sir Winston Churchill used to debate.

Apparently the idea of whizzing around a pole and trying to look sexy is relaxing to some people -- or it's just that irritating exercise-is-fun theory again. "The classes are for fitness and well-being, and are not intended to be sexual," a rep for the storied university told the Daily Telegraph.

But never fear: If you also hate exercise, in Japan -- where the "healing" industry rakes in $30 million annually -- they've come up with a number of interesting new ways to de-stress, from part-time puppy rentals to slumber parties at the Enoshima Aquarium. Apparently watching jellyfish undulate has the same effect on brainwaves as Xanax.

Kind of makes your stress ball seem like a silly rubber bag full of sand, doesn't it?