There are lots of different reasons why someone might feel stressed including a poor relationship, problems at work, not enough time, caring for a sick child or adult, financial worries, illness, unemployment, threat of redundancy ... and so it goes on. Because we accept that a certain amount of stress is a normal part of life, we develop different strategies for coping with stress, some of which are more healthy than others.

Life can be very difficult, if you have lots of things that are causing you stress, especially if you feel there is nothing you can do about it. However, many people make it harder for themselves by not dealing with things that are in their control such as the stress that they heap on themselves. If you're the type of person who does that listed below are actions that you can take to relieve some stress

1. Stay in the moment: Constantly worrying about the past or worrying about what’s going to happen in the future is a waste of energy. Stay in the moment and enjoy it.

2. Stop trying to be perfect: You never will be perfect – no one is. Just do your best and be happy with that.

3. Take action: Rather than wasting time complaining about your lot in life and how tough things are – take some action to do something about it.

4. Don’t compare yourself to others: Constant comparisons with others is a recipe for unhappiness and unnecessary stress. Be proud of your own accomplishments

5. Don’t try to be all things to all people: If you try to please everyone the chances are you’ll land up pleasing no one. Remember you cannot be all things to all people.

6. Reassess your priorities: Make sure that you’re doing the things that are really important and where possible delegate to others

7. Examine your expectations: Too often people have unrealistic expectations and expect too much of themselves or others and this causes untold stress. Make sure that your expectations are realistic and fair.

8. Learn to say no: It’s important that if you’re the type of person who takes on too much either at work or at home that you learn to say no sometimes. It gets easier the more you do it.

9. Don’t make promises you can’t keep: It’s very easy to slip into making promises that are then impossible to fulfil out of guilt. Don’t do it.

10. Learn to relax: If you’re feeling stressed make sure that you take the time to go for a walk, do some deep breathing or mediation exercises. Don't make excuses and pretend you don't have enough time. Even taking a 10 minute break will make a difference.

Summary

There are many more things you can do and strategies you can use to relieve your own stress. It’s important to remember that even when you feel under pressure with too much to do – there are choices that you can make to improve the situation. Stress is a normal part of life, but it is important that you deal with it and ensure that it doesn’t get out of hand.