As much as we don’t want it, stress is a part of daily life.  However, “being stressed out” isn’t.  Nobody has control over all of the things that happens to them, yet it does not mean that they have to respond to a challenging situation by feeling overwhelmed or distraught.  When a person starts to be stressed out, it becomes not just a mental risk, but a physical hazard as well.  

The more a person is stressed out, the more they become more susceptible to flu, colds, and lots of other chronic and even life-threatening illnesses.  When you open yourself up to stress, you close your doors to the pleasures and beauty of life.  So, it’s important that you learn to deal with stress in the right way.  Improve yourself and the way you manage stress with these easy stress management techniques:

Acknowledge that stress is “good”
Instead of making stress your number one enemy, make it a friend.  According to the natural “fight or flight” response of the body, the burst of energy provided by stress enhances one’s performance at the correct time.  Use stress sensibly to push yourself a bit harder in times where it counts most.  

Keep away from “stress sneezers”
People who are stressed out sneeze “stress germs” aimlessly and before you realize it, you’ve been infected as well.  Safeguard yourself by identifying stress in other people, and limit the contact.  On the other hand, if you have the inclination, teach them to manage themselves better.

Learn from “the best”
When everyone around you is panicking, observe who keeps his or her calm.  Study what these people are doing differently, and the language that they’re using.  Are they experienced and trained?  Analyze from afar or have a chat with them.  Learn how to manage stress from the best “stress managers” and imitate they’re technique.

Practice heavy breathing
A trick to relaxing the body is through the use of heavy breathing.  Inhale slowly counting seven, and then exhale counting eleven.  Keep on repeating the 7-11 heavy breathing until the heart rate decelerates, the sweat on the palms dry off, and you start to feel normal again.  

Give the “red light” to stressful thoughts
It’s possible to get tangled up in the stress knot even when you’re alone.  Stressful thoughts starts flickering with the “what if this happens, then that will happen”, and you begin to worry needlessly because in the end all the things that you’ve been worrying about don’t actually happen.  So, when stressful thoughts begin to move around your head, give the “red light” and stop it on its tracks.

Recognize your hot spots and trigger points
Interviews, presentations, meetings, tight deadlines, and all that lot, may raise your heart rate even by just thinking about it.  Make a list of all your stress “trigger points”, and be specific on the thing that really gets you stressed out.  Do you get worked up over presentations to specific people? Is a project causing more stress?  Do you drink lots of coffee?  To know what causes you to be stressed is very helpful information that allows you to take action in lessening the stress.  

Don’t overdo it
Poor diet, no exercise, and lack of sleep cause havoc on the mind and body.  If you’re doing this on a regular basis, it becomes great stress triggers.  Having a healthy diet, exercising on a regular basis, and getting enough sleep are often the easiest things to do to counter stress, but are often ignored.  Listen to what your mom use to tell you - “don’t burn the candle at both ends”.

Stress management techniques can assist you in controlling your stress and improving yourself to become a happier, healthier, and a more pleasant individual to be with.