Recognize stress. Obviously, some stress is good for us — it adds interest, excitement and motivation to life, in the right balance. It is when the level of stress in your life causes you to put up with things that are harming or distressing you constantly that you risk sliding into being too stressed. You could be too stressed if:

• All you do and think about is work, non-stop. It might be your own business, a career, a salaried position, a stay-at-home mom or dad position, or anything else that is soaking up your time and life one hundred percent, and this over-concentration is leaving you passionless, disappointed, unhappy, and unfulfilled.
• You experience constant body tension, including headaches, neck aches, back aches, and general soreness.
• You're often irritable, short-tempered, and perhaps unable to focus on completing tasks. Trivial things set you off easily.
• You feel as if you have too much going on and that you can't hop off the merry-go-round.
• Your sleep is a battlefield and you wake up feeling less rested rather than refreshed. Insomnia has become your norm rather than an unusual event.
• You're eating too much or too little. Or, you are choosing unhealthy food options.
• You're drinking too little water.
• You can't remember the last time you had a good laugh and your sense of humor is sadly lacking.

Set aside time to relax. Once you have accepted that there are negative stressors impacting your life, it's important to make room for relaxation amid all those busy things you're doing. . Ways to prepare for adding relaxation back into your routine include:

• Let go of guilt. Many religious and cultural beliefs instill the value of hard work very deeply. Over time, and increasingly so with the advent of smart technology that keeps us hyper-wired 24/7, many of us have come to believe that being "on-the-go" constantly is the only way to prove our value. Having an unrealistic interpretation of "hard work" will end up wearing you down. Hard work is giving your tasks the attention they deserve at the time they deserve, not letting it bleed into all hours of your day!
• Accept that sleep is a very important part of life. During sleep, your mind continues learning in ways that are not possible during waking hours. Sleep restores and refreshes your body in myriad ways that cannot happen when you're awake. Do not be tempted to devalue the worth of sleep. Moreover, the alleged ability of some people to thrive on four hours sleep per night is the exception, not the rule — most of us need the six to eight hour sleep cycle for full restoration. Dreaming is an essential part of sleep; you can explore your inner fantasy and have many experiences that you never encounter in the waking world.
• Block out times in your day to relax. Think of it as an appointment with your most important client — you — that you absolutely cannot skip or break.
• If you're at home, mark time for relaxing in black ink on a calendar for everyone to see. That way, the whole family will appreciate the importance of making time to relax.
• Recognize that finding your own optimal ways to relax may take time, as well as some trial and error. Don't give up — keep searching until you find the right combination of activities that relax you and rejuvenate your enthusiasm for living fully.

Practice positive thinking. Positive thinking isn't about wishful or dreamer thinking; it's about making the most of the situations that you find yourself in and avoiding any tendency to add negative overlays.

• Use visualization techniques. While you might not feel calm and relaxed, imagining a calm and relaxed scene in your mind can do wonders to improve your outlook. Picture beaches, lying down resting, going for a hike, etc., to help you stay relaxed.
• Use affirmations to change your outlook on life and stop yourself from always jumping to negative conclusions. Affirmations are short, powerful statements that build you up and increase your confidence, helping you to expect positive outcomes.[4] Be careful about the words you choose – the things you say about yourself over and over again will ensure that you believe your own rhetoric. Use positive, believable, and caring words about yourself.
• Teach yourself to step back and see the "big picture" when you're in the thick of things that don't seem to be going well. Recognize that most problems are temporary, and minor setbacks on the path to achieving larger goals.

Think logically, and restrain your emotions. If you learn to think more sequentially and logically when you're stressed, you might find that solutions become more apparent.

• Turn an objective eye on your stressors. Take a realistic look at what's freaking you out, and consider how you'd advise a friend in a similar position. Then, follow your own advice.
• Change your ways. If the problem is something you're doing, then change the way you act or react. Stop and listen to those around you to figure out and correct what it is you might be misunderstanding or doing wrong.

Find a quiet place when you are feeling overwhelmed and pamper yourself

• Draw a warm bath. Light candles around the tub, dim the lights, add bubbles or lavender, if desired. Sometimes looking at the color yellow can have relaxing effects. Take some time to gather up different yellow objects in a room. You can even spray paint your onions yellow, though they are no longer edible merely gazing at them can improve you're state of mind.
• Lie on your bed or sofa. Play some soft music or nature CDs. Relax listening to ocean waves, waterfalls or birds.
• Read a good book. Curl up on the couch with a blanket and a cup of chamomile tea.
• Imagine a personal paradise. Close your eyes and envision a different setting. What do you see around you? Is there a breeze? What do you hear - birds or water? Imagine the calming sound of ocean waves reaching the shore. Enjoy a moment in your special place.
• Even the stall of a bathroom at work is an ideal "quiet spot" for a breather if you have no other place to go.

Stop feeling guilty. Guilt is a potent source of stress. Get rid of the source of guilt by behaving yourself; stop engaging in behaviors that make you feel guilty. Seek professional help, if necessary, but don't allow destructive behavior to escalate and sabotage your life and health.

Learn to prioritize. Make a list of tasks for the day. Organize the list by importance, and be proactive and take care of things before they become a big problem. Time spent more productively means more free time to relax.

• Work! Although this may sound counteractive to your goal of relaxing, procrastination never feels as good as having nothing to do. Get your tasks done now, and then you can truly relax.

Practice meditation. Remove all thoughts and emotions from your mind by concentrating on your breathing. Meditation takes you into focusing on your whole being as a form of relaxation, rather than just focusing on one area of your body as any other relaxation technique tends to do. It can take a while to master, but it is well worth the effort.

• Begin with a sitting posture for a minimum of 15 minutes per session, and build up to 45–60 minutes per session.[5]
• Try to meditate regularly.
• Find a respected mentor if you are having difficulty learning meditation by yourself.
• Avoid being intense, competitive, or frustrated about meditating – all of these emotions defeat its purpose!

Consider self-hypnosis. Focus on something, take a few deep breaths and let yourself become hypnotized. If you have trouble with self-hypnosis, go to a licensed hypnotherapist. Do not allow an amateur to try to hypnotize you, and beware of subliminal messages.

Do activities or hobbies that relax you. Get your mind off the things that normally stress you out. You may just need a break every now and then.

• Go fishing, sew, sing, paint or take photographs.
• Try singing a song using numbers instead of words. Singing can help to distract you from stress to suddenly relax.
• Use music as relaxation therapy. Play it as loudly or as softly as you like, whichever calms you the most.

Spend time with your pet. Cuddle or play with your pets. They'll love it and so will you. Talk to your pet about all the stress and anxiety you've been going through and you'll feel a lot better. Pet therapy is a genuine means for relaxing; you can also learn a lot from watching how your pet relaxes (note, animals don't carry guilt around!).

Smile and laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. Rent, buy or see a hilarious movie. This is guaranteed to help. Smiling and laughing releases endorphins, which fights stress, helps to relax and reminds you that life is more than just work. Even if it feels strange at first, make it a point to smile more often.

Tips

• Listen to relaxing trance music (instrumental) so you can relax and think about nothing. Make a trance playlist so you won't have to choose a new song every time.
• You don't need to work out like a body builder or celebrity. Keep exercise in perspective so that you actually do it and enjoy it, rather than fear it and avoid it. A daily 20-minute walk is sufficient if that's all that interests you.
• Put yourself first sometimes, we often think about everybody's problems and we get more stressed every day. Don't become selfish though.
• Take a bath or have a pamper evening
• Make sure you don't get worked up from the actions of people who ought to know better but are taking out their own frustrations and lack of self-focus on you. Let their frustrations and thoughtless actions slide off you like water from a duck's back.
• De-clutter your home or living space. It is very hard to relax in a house where stuff is always in the way, ruling your life.
• As you begin to exclude sugar from your diet, you may continue to crave it and feel agitated. Be strong. After a couple of days, the cravings will subside and you'll begin to feel calmer. Also try adding cinnamon to some of your food. It acts as a de-craving solution to stop you wanting to eat sweets.
• Be calmed by water. Assemble a small fountain in your bedroom or yard. Walk near a beach or lake. The calming sounds of water can be very soothing.
• Take a nice, hot bath!
• Read a book or an article that makes you think. Read about a leader you find inspiring, such as Martin Luther King, or look up Frankl's writings about the mind. Inspirational thoughts can lead to a more positive outlook on life and add new energy.
• Smile think about the good times, not bad.

Look at the things much or less interesting,and empty your mind,.

• Be confident! Don't give up. Continue with these relaxation techniques. You "can" reduce your stress levels. Just by visiting this site and looking for help, you're already well on your way.
• Don't start on high-energy or high-stress tasks close to bedtime. Too much stress or focus before you go to bed may make it difficult to relax and fall asleep, which can affect your sleep cycle and increase your ongoing stress levels.
• Don't think about work.
• Download e-books on relaxation. Use controlled breathing, muscle tensing and relaxing, affirmations (which become your own subliminal messages to your subconscious), and visualization to experience the full impact of total relaxation.
• Take deep, slow breaths to release energy and relax.
• Stop whatever you are doing. Take a few deep breaths. Just take things cool.

Warnings

• Consult your physician if stress is causing serious symptoms, such as headaches, poor appetite or general fatigue.
• Thousands of people become unknowingly addicted to drugs and alcohol in times of severe stress. Practice resilience in order to prevent this from happening to you. One of the hardest parts of dealing with stress is recognizing it and avoiding temptations that mask it rather than remedy it.