How do we cope with stress? There are literally thousands of books, articles and websites that cover stress and stress management. However, the ancient and natural ways are probably still the best ways towards peace and serenity. The old adage, ‘prevention is better than cure’ is certainly true for stress management. Here are some tips on how to end your daily batter with stress:

Heave a healthy lifestyle: health is wealth. It cannot be stated emphatically enough. The only happiness that we can ever enjoy in this world is life, and having a great life starts with being healthy. Sometimes, people are ill equipped to face the stressors in their lives because their bodies cannot handle activities involving pain, endurance and strength. This means exercise and eating a healthy nutritious diet.

Exercise regularly: regular exercise is a great way to manage stress. You should do some form of exercise that causes you to feel puffed afterwards. A leisurely stroll to the bus stop is not enough! Have at least 20 minutes of exercise three times a week.

Eat well: a nutritious diet is important. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetable and avoid sweet and fatty foods.

Avoid conflict: avoid situations that make you feel stressed as much as you can. Avoid unnecessary arguments and conflict if you find them stressful (although ignoring a problem is not always the best way to reduce stress).

Relax: make sure you give yourself some time to relax each day and try to spend time with people who make you feel good about yourself.

Sleep: a good sleep routine is essential. Do something calm and relaxing before you go to bed, like listening to music, reading, or taking a warm bath if you have difficulty falling asleep.

Enjoy your life: stop to smell the roses. It’s important to make time to have some fun. We get easily entangled with daily concerns. Our society seems to be heading towards self-destruction. We work all day; we even work many additional hours at our job just to get rich quickly or to help make ends meet and a lot of people forget to enjoy life in the constant surge of their businesses. Always remember that happy thoughts, and moments, make us joyful. It is good if you will learn to reward yourself from time to time.

Communicate: people who haven’t learnt to say NO, people who are unable to admit to mistakes and weaknesses are highly stressed individuals. A simple misunderstanding between you and your boss or your teacher can really make or break you. Often times, it is the small things that are neglect in communication.

Prioritise: have a battle plan. Get your life in order! For a good many people it may seem hard to do this. However, the benefits to your levels of stress are huge. In financial matters, always weigh between needs and wants. According to Da Vinci, simplicity is still the ultimate sophistication.

How about give it a try?