Tips to avoid stress are as follows: Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine or reduce them because they contain stimulants and will increase your level of stress rather than reducing it. So swap caffeinated and alcoholic drinks for water, herbal teas, or diluted natural fruit juices and aim to keep yourself hydrated as this will enable your body to cope better with stress. Indulge in physical activity. Stressful situations increase the level of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol in your body. When you feel stressed and tense, go for a brisk walk in fresh air. Try to in corporate some physical activity in daily routine on a regular basis, either before or after work or at lunch time. Regular physical activity will also improve the quality of your sleep.

Get some more sleep. A lack of sleep is a significant cause of stress. Unfortunately though, stress also interrupts our sleep as thoughts keep whirling through our heads, stopping us from relaxing enough to fall asleep. You should aim to go to bed at roughly the same time each day so that your mind and body get used to a predictable bedtime routine. Try relaxation techniques. Each day, try to relax with a stress reduction technique. There are many tried and tested ways to reduce stress so try a few and see what works best for you. Talk to someone. Just talking to someone about how you feelcan be helpful. Talking can work by either distracting you from your stressful thoughts or releasing some of the built up tension by discussing it. Keep a stress diary. Keeping a stress diary for a few weeks is an effective stress management tool as it will help you become more aware of the situations which cause you to become stressed. Take control. Stress can be triggered by a problem that may on the surface seems impossible to solve. Learning how to find solutions to your problems will help you feel more in control thereby lowering your level of stress.

Manage your time. At times, we all feel overburdened by our TO DO list and this is a common cause of stress. Accept that you can not do everything at once  and start to prioritise and diarise your tasks. Learn to say NO. A common cause of stress is having too much to do and little time in which to do it. And yet in this situation, many people will still agree to take on additional responsibility. Learning to say NO to additional and unimportant requests will help to reduce your level of stress, and may also help to develop more self confidence. Rest if you are free. You are feeling unwell, do not feel that you have to carry on regardless. A short well of rest will enable the body to cover faster.