Identifying the sources of stress. Knowing what causes stress for you can help you cope with it better and provide mental and emotional relief. Recognizing your specific triggers is one of the first steps in the process of stress management. Common causes of stress include: work, family, health concerns, unrealistic expectations, cynical and negative attitudes, sudden traumatic events.

Healthy Diet. Vitamins and minerals are required to ensure healthy brain and neurological functionality. The Vitamin B Group is particularly relevant to the brain, depression and stress susceptibility. Vitamin C is essential to protect against stress too. A proper balanced diet is clearly essential, both to avoid direct physical stress causes via brain and nervous system, and to reduce stress susceptibility resulting from poor health and condition. Toxins such as alcohol, tobacco smoke, excessive salt, steroids, and other pollutants work against the balance between minerals, vitamins mind and body.

Physical exercise. Exercise is one of the most effective strategies for getting rid of stress. Exercise releases helpful chemicals in our brain and body that are good for us. Exercise distracts us from the causes of stress. Exercise warms and relaxes cold, tight muscles and tissues which contribute to stress feelings. Exercise develops and maintains a healthy body which directly reduces stress susceptibility.

Living a more balanced life. You may be experiencing stress because your life has become out of balance. You may be spending too much time and energy on work or on caring for others at the expense of your own health and well-being. Delegate or share your responsibilities at work and at home.

Managing time and scheduling. It may also be necessary to reorganize your schedule in order to maintain a more balanced life. Think ahead about how you’re going to spend your time. Make a "to-do" list. Figure out what’s most important to do. Prioritize tasks and then work on the most important ones. Delegate less important tasks. Schedule extra time for tasks, in case of interruptions.

Organizing and simplifying your life. If one of your main sources of stress is the sheer number of things that need to be done, getting organized should help you feel more at peace. A good sense of organization will also make you more efficient. Simplifying your life also should help you feel less overwhelmed. Do what is most important first and realize that some things can wait until later.

Make time for yourself. It’s important to care for yourself. Think of this as an order from your doctor, so you don’t feel guilty! No matter how busy you are, you can try to set aside at least 15 minutes each day in your schedule to do something for yourself, like taking a bubble bath, going for a walk, or calling a friend.

Sleep. Sleeping is a great way to help both your body and mind. Getting enough sound sleep has a profound impact on your stress levels, immune function and disease resistance. A chronic lack of sleep can leave you feeling sluggish, irritable, forgetful, accident-prone, and have difficulty concentrating or coping with life's daily aggravations. Your stress could get worse if you don’t get enough sleep. You also can’t fight off sickness as well when you sleep poorly. With enough sleep, you can tackle your problems better and lower your risk for illness. Set limits and Learn to say “no.” When it comes to things like work and family, figure out what you can really do.

Changing your thinking. Don’t expect perfection from yourself or others. See problems as opportunities. Look for the humour in stressful situations. Look at unavoidable stress as an avenue for growth and change.

Positive Thinking. Optimism can counteract the negative impact stress, tension and anxiety has on your immune system and well-being. Often it is how you perceive things that determine if you get overwhelmed, both mentally and physically. Having a positive attitude, finding the good in what life throws your way and looking at the bright side of things enhances your ability to effectively manage stress.

Get real. Set realistic goals at home and at work. People often become stressed about something not because it is particularly stressful but because their expectations were unrealistic. When expectations are realistic, life feels more predictable and manageable. Keep Perspective and Look for the Positive. Reversing negative ideas and learning to focus on positive outcomes helps reduce tension and achieve goals. Identify the worst possible outcomes. Rate the likelihood of these bad outcomes happening.

Relax. Whether you choose yoga, meditation, deep breathing or massage, relaxation techniques can put your body into a state physiologic events in the stress reaction are reversed: pulse slows, blood pressure falls, breathing slows and muscles relax.

Have fun. One of the best ways to relieve stress is to take time out to enjoy life - to spend time with people we care about and do things that give us genuine pleasure. Be sure to make time in your life for the things that are important to you. Celebrate birthdays and other holidays. Turn more events into special occasions. Laugh. Humour is a wonderful stress reducer. When we laugh, good things happen inside us. Laughter stimulates the brain and causes endorphins to be released, which relax and re-energize us. Laughing also strengthens the immune system and reduces levels of stress hormones.