STRESS

Stress can be a really dangerous health hazard. So avoid reaching your pressure point altogether. A list of the most effective stress stoppers.

Screaming, punching, boxing

It's good for stressed people to act out their frustrations in a physical (but completely harmless) manner for example smashing old plates on the floor. Stress eyperts agree that releasing tension and anger can set free the stress hormones that are rampaging around your bodies - thereby promoting a feeling of relaxation. Laugh it out, cry it out or scream it out. Learning to relax, to release and let go is a veritable art.

Don't bottle up your feelings. Let them hang out.

Exercising

Like it or not, studies have shown that a 15-minute walk is more effective at dealing with stress than a course of tranquillisers. We often become stuck in the twilight zone where we have become aroused through the stress of the day but are unable to release the body's raging stress hormones. Good hard exercise can allow you to swing back into the state we know as rest.

Use exercise as a substitute for tranquillisers.

Autogenic training

AT might sound rather technical, but actually it is dead easy and hugely successful. This method is now used to reduce stress and improve performance. It is a bit like a westernised form of meditation but it does not demand any belief systems. And the best thing about this method is that you can use the exercises at any time - even in the office or on the bus. Try it: Sit in a chair with your hands resting on your arms and give yourself relaxing instructions (my hands are heavy.)

Deep breathing

When we are stressed we breathe more swiftly and shallowly, higher up in the chest. So it makes sense that deep abdominal breathing can help us relax. To make sure you are breathing deeply, place your hand on your abdomen. Breathe slowly through your nose and, as you do, you should feel your abdomen (rather then your chest) rise.

=> Deep breathing works because getting more oxygen into your body relaxes you. Breathe in deeply through your nose and then exhale through your mouth and then repeat it ten times.

Listening to music

Tests have shown that half an hour of classical music is as effective as a dose of Valium. So put on your favourite mellowing-out music, sit back and relax.

=> Remember to have fun. Doing something you really enjoy means you get a chance to take a break and "recharge your batteries". Music is known to have a positive effect on your mental state. Choose a type of music that suits you.

Meditation

Meditation is perhaps the best long-term stress solution going. It fills the body with a sense of relaxation, pleasure, wellbeing and safety. Sit quietly, breathe deeply and keep focusing on your breathing rather than your thoughts. Aim for ten to 20 minutes a day.

Visualisation

Imaging yourself in a calm, beautiful place is one of the key strategies suggested by stress experts. Visualize yourself lying on a beach. Listen to the waves and feel the warm sun and a gentle breeze on your back. Conjure up an image of a special place where you can feel comfortable and safe.

Stay positive! If you think negatively stress can take over. And stop worrying about things you can't change. Work on the things you can do something about.

It's important never to visualise failure but to adopt positive thinking and to visualise yourself succeeding. Make sure that your body, as well as your mind, is in peak condition: plenty of sleep, good food and exercise.

Yoga

It's the supreme stress buster. You are not just working on the anatomical body but also on the nervous system as well. You are stretching your muscles, taking the blood deeper into the cells to oxygenate them and remove tensions along with any toxins.

Nutrition

Dull as it sounds, diet is crucial in beating stress. Try to cut down on sugar, tea and coffee, sweetened drinks, junk foods and fat. Boost your diet with fresh vegetables and fruits, wholegrain breads, pastas and cereals, pulses and nuts.

A good and healthy diet is crucial in beating stress!

10.) Massage

The power of touch. After being massaged people feel better, less anxious and more

in control. 15 minutes of massage a week and you will have less fatigue, you'll be

able to think more clearly and you will have fewer symptoms of stress.

11.) Delegate

Face it, you are not superhuman. Even the biggest control freak can't do it all. Get

your priorities straight. Start delegating both at work and at home. We need to learn

to say no. There is no doubt that when we allow ourselves to be dragged into a role or

activity to please others we will end up stressed.

Organise and prioritise. By doing this you will feel in control and decide what

things are more urgent. Feeling prepared can get rid of a lot of stress.

Communicate: A problem shared is a problem halved. Telling people about your problem can often help. Only when people realise how stressed you are they may be able to help.

EXAM STRESS

To do well in an exam you need to be stressed, because it is what gets the adrenaline going. But it's a matter of balancing that stress, so that you are taking an active approach rather than a negative approach. If you are too stressed you don't give your best answers, write irrelevantly and miss the point of questions.

But stress is not entirely negative. Stress can be a positive, creative force, rather than something that makes us sick. It depends how we perceive it.

Stress symptoms: You become more irritable and short-tempered. Sleeping is often affected too. You may be sleeping more than usual, loath to get up, or experience difficulty sleeping at all (to toss and turn in bed). Eating is another prime area affected by stress. Usually a student will simply eat more, craving sweet, high-calorie "comfort" food. But this is not a huge problem. Students who stop eating altogether are a serious concern. They blank out in their exams, having not eaten for weeks. Caffeine and bars of chocolate may seem to offer a quick fix for the student but the ability to do tasks declines after consuming caffeine. High-sugar snacks may provide a big dose of glucose, making you feel mentally alert for about half an hour, but after that you are likely to feel lethargic and mentally sluggish. Cut down on your fat intake and feed your brain with muesli, brown rice, pulses, porridge. which are slowly digested by the body and slowly release energy.

Exercise is also supremely important at time of stress. It causes the heart to beat faster and the blood to flow faster in the veins. When we stop exercising the muscles relax and the digestion works properly

Surround yourself with people who motivate you and make you feel good about yourself.

Work oneself into a real state, bite nails, drink a lot of coffee, vicious circle=> fear, anxiety to fail, feeling of being a failure, trouble with friends and parents, depression, frustration, insomnia.

Loss of appetite, sweaty palms, feeling sick, digestion, uncontrollable blushing, feeling hot or freezing cold, being in bad mood, dug using, feel restless and tense, clench one's fist, grind one's teeth

Parents have too high hopes for her, demand too much, expect higher standard from her than she can give them, worked to her potential, lack attention, achieving goals is easier said than done, try one's hardest, not everything is going to be spoon-fed to you, one cannot do better than one's best

to calm down, to be at leisure, to take some time off, to enjoy oneself, to put one's feet up, sit back, relax, chill out.

stress: strain, tension, pressure. Be stressed out, be under stress

able to cope with stress?

To crack up, break down, lose control, go to pieces, go out of one's mind

To exert oneself, do one's best, do all one can, give it one's best shot

Failure, loser, non-achiever, ne'er-do-well, disappointment

Life is not a smooth path because it throws up a succession of problems which make demands on us: getting to work on time, coping with heavy traffic, getting over bereavement, under-going redundancy.

Demands can also come from inside ourselves. We may feel we have to live out lives in particular ways which put pressure on us and we become overloaded. So if the demands on us exceed out stock of skills and resources we experience stress.

plan ahead! Make some kind of time management by organising yourself! Set priorities, have a life philosophy! Stress management: you can do it.

How to overcome /come to terms with/ deal positively with/ combat /manage/ cope with/ fight off/ fend off /handle stress

Stress buster/beater/stopper

The art of beating stress. A student's guide to stress management. 20 tips on how to handle stress. Learn the art of relaxation. 20 ways to beat stress

Cracked up? Stressed out? Change your life now!

Don't let stress rule your life! No more stress! Say goodbye to stress!