Top 20 Stress Busting Tips

Discover How to Manage Stress Now!

• A 'stress diary' can be invaluable in understanding your major sources of stress and how often you're experiencing them.
• Note the positives as well as the negatives, and regularly review what you've learnt about your lifestyle.
• Try to alter your balance of activities from stress 'producing' to stress 'reducing'.
• Recognise and acknowledge what you cannot change. Fighting against it will achieve nothing, and will simply increase your stress.
• How you manage your time is a key factor in how stressful your life will be.
• Establish your priorities and focus on the essentials. Eliminate time-wasting activities.
• Take regular breaks away from tasks or situations that are sources of stress and frustration.
• If you find it difficult to say 'no', assertiveness and time management training can be extremely beneficial.
• A well balanced diet is crucial in reducing stress. Certain foods and drinks act as powerful stimulants and can be direct causes of stress.
• Keep the consumption of 'convenience' foods to the minimum, as many contain large amounts of sugar, salt, fat and preservatives.
• Consuming excessive alcohol will neither solve your problems nor improve your health.
• Drink at least two litres of water per day, and limit your caffeine intake, as this 'kick starts' the stress reaction.
• Exercise provides an outlet for negative emotions such as frustration and anger. It's thought that stress poses significantly less danger to the health of people who are physically fit.
• Choose a form of exercise that you enjoy, rather than one that you think 'will be good for you'. You'll enjoy it more and this will make it easier to stick to.
• Include a daily period of relaxation in your life.
• Tension and relaxation are two sides of the same coin - you can't experience both at the same time. You need to learn to turn on the bodily effects of relaxation so that you can turn off the symptoms of tension.
• Humour gives us a different perspective on our problems. If you can make light of a situation it becomes less threatening.
• Changing your perspective, positive thinking and self-talk can all help you deal with stress.
• Slow deep breathing will help to ease the tension in your mind and body.
• A wide range of 'alternative' therapies are available for the treatment of stress. Different people will find some more effective than others.