I recently shared some tips on how to relieve stress with subscribers of my Leading Well newsletter in honour of Lifeline’s Stress Down Day. (If you find them helpful you might like to make a donation to Lifeline at http://www.stressdown.org.au/ and forward this on to anyone else who may find it helpful.)

Stress can have a number of adverse affects on your health, both short-term and long-term.

If you’re experiencing some of the following symptoms, it could indicate that you could benefit from some advice on how to relieve stress before your health suffers any worse than it already has.  Feelings of anger, fear or helplessness are common indicators of stress, as is insomnia.  Stress can cause headaches and pain in the jaw, neck and back.  Habitual smoking, drinking, overeating and drug abuse may also be caused by stress.

Stress is how your body responds to change.  And situations that cause stress in one person may not cause stress in another.  It’s a very individual experience.

One person may become tense when driving over high bridges, while another may enjoy the view.  The thought of skydiving terrifies some people, but others find it thrilling.

It’s nearly impossible to classify any particular situation as stressful, because what causes stress in one person could be a source of enjoyment for the next.  The key is to identify and manage what is stressful for you personally, because letting stress go unmanaged can have life-threatening health consequences.

Things you feel that you have no control over can be upsetting.  But remember it’s not the situation, but how you deal with it that’s important.  You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can choose how you handle stressful situations.

For practical tools and useful ideas on how to handle stress effectively have a look at my Stress-Free Course at http://stressfreecourse.com/ – my gift to you today at no cost!

Meanwhile, here are some quick tips for relieving your stress:

* Focus on your breathing and breathe slow, deep and deliberately.  Picture a peaceful scene in your mind.

* Exercise regularly.  Exercising releases tension from your body.  Find something you enjoy that gets the major muscle groups going.  Jogging, walking, swimming or bicycling are all excellent choices.

* Count to ten slowly and deliberately.  This helps you to pause and relax before reacting to a stressful situation.

* Do some stretching exercises several times during the day.  Stretching relaxes the muscles and reduces tension.

* Have a friend massage the back of your neck, shoulders and upper back.  These muscles get especially tense when you are stressed.

* Take hot showers and baths.

* Listen to relaxing music.

* Talk to your family and friends about what is causing you stress.

Seek help when you need it.  If you have recurring headaches and neck or upper back pain, and are having problems sleeping, you should see your doctor.

Stress is a normal part of working life, so it is important to learn how to manage it.

Learning how to relieve stress, and putting these methods to use are critical your overall health and happiness.  Try to learn to accept what you can’t change.  Not everything is going to happen the way you want it to – and not everything will turn out to be as bad as we sometimes imagine it might be.  Train yourself to look for the good in what appears to be a bad situation, talk to others about your troubles, and try to mentally remove yourself from the situation then evaluate it from the outside looking in.

For some really practical information on how to manage stress you might like to join my Stress-Free Course at http://stressfreecourse.com/ – my gift to you today absolutely free!

Do you have a favourite tips for relieving stress to share with other readers?  Please share it by posting a comment below.