Maintaining a healthy and well-balanced diet is vital to keeping one's stress level at a minimum. Stress reduces the effectiveness of the digestive system and leads to nutritional deficiencies. Taking healthy food and nutritional supplement are able to supply the body with vitamins and nutrients, thus enhancing the body's ability to function properly. Avoid sugar, carbohydrates, caffeine and alcohol in your diet.

Exercise is widely recognised as beneficial in reducing stress. Relax your body and mind to break down accumulated tension. Try some sports that combine social activities such as tennis and golf. Jogging, swimming, biking and aerobics can improve the cardiovascular system. If you do not feel like doing outdoor activities, moving about or just walking is also useful to help improve blood flow to your brain, increasing one's daily energy supply.

Relax by doing some stretching, listening to soft music, reading a good book or taking a hot bath. These periods of relaxation should be taken throughout the day and will relieve the up tight feeling that turn frowns into smiles. Give your brain something to do besides worrying over your problems. During work, get up and stretch periodically if your job requires that you sit for extended periods.

Making sleep a priority is one major way to reduce stress. Have a good sleep by taking a warm bath or drinking a hot drink such as milk before going to bed. Avoid large meals, mint and spices before bed. Try to stop thinking about things that bother you for the day or after. You can keep a notebook & pen by your bed, write down anything important that you think about prior to falling asleep. You won't forget, since you wrote it down.

Share your problems, concerns and worries with a friend, family member, teacher or counsellor. They may be able to help you solve your problems. If you feel your problem is serious, you might seek for professional help such as seeing a psychiatrist or social worker. Knowing when to ask for help may avoid more serious problems later.

Schedule your time for both work and recreation. Play can be just as important as your work. Release your pressure and take a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun.

Schedule your tasks. Trying to take care of everything at once can seem overwhelming and as a result, you may not accomplish anything. Instead, make a list of what tasks you have to do, set priority to each task and do them one at a time, checking them off as they're completed. Concentrate on the work at hand and on the immediate step you need to take to complete it.

Make new friends and enjoy new activities by offering your services to a neighbourhood or volunteer organisations. Sitting alone can make you feel frustrated, bored, sad and lonely. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, get involved. Help yourself by helping other people and get involved with the people around you.

Yoga is a moving meditation, a system for unifying the body, mind and spirit. The combined practice of Yoga postures, meditation and breathing exercises help reduce stress and anxiety levels so your mind and body can overcome any physiological or mental effects a person may encounter throughout life. To practice yoga, seek for a yoga teacher if you are unable to teach or treat yourself.