• SOME LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO FIGHT STRESS

• TOP CHANGES FOR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

• 10 TIPS TO REDUCE STRESS

• REDUCE STRESS THRU TIME MANAGEMENT

• 5 STRESS RELIEF STRATEGIES

• ANGER MANAGEMENT TIPS  TO REDUCE STRESS

• REDUCE PREVENT AND COPE WITH STRESS

• INSTANT RELAXATION TECHNIQUES FROM MIND TOOLS

• SPECIAL STRESS REDUCING TIPS FOR WOMEN OVER 50

• TIPS TO REDUCE STRESS (source: Job Bank America)

• ELIMINATING THE 3 MOST STRESS CAUSING AGENTS FROM DAILY LIFE

• SIMPLE TIPS TO REDUCE STRESS

SOME LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO FIGHT STRESS
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-22-5035286.html

At first glance, it may seem impossibly difficult to adjust the stress-causing aspects of your lifestyle, but a practical evaluation of your situation may show that improving your ability to cope with stress takes less effort as you might have thought. Review the advice below with an eye towards what works with your lifestyle, and you may be on your way to reducing stress at home and work.

• Eat healthy: You may have noticed that you feel the most stressed when you are hungry or feeling worn down. If you never eat breakfast or rarely eat lunch, you are at risk of falling into one of the most easily rectified traps for stress. Eating a couple of pieces of toast in the morning (even when eaten on the road during your commute) will improve concentration and boost your energy through the morning, and it takes very little effort on your part. Stock your desk with raisins, peanuts, and other snacks that can tide you over in case you need a boost during the day.
• Get enough sleep: Feeling tired or run down can turn into chronic aggravation, but many people simply don’t recognize that this symptom of stress comes from not getting enough sleep. The habit of going to bed earlier may take some discipline to build, but numerous studies have shown a direct correlation between rest and your ability to fight stress. You should also follow a set schedule and get up at the same time every day to help your body use your sleep most effectively.
• Exercise: Exercise is important to any lifestyle and helps improve your stamina. If you start feeling worn out in the afternoons, a nightly walk will help you sleep better and improve your energy level. Additionally, stretching and taking a break to walk around every so often while at work helps reduce the physical strain of working at a computer all day.
• Get rid of addictions: This is great advice at any time, but particularly limiting your use of caffeine and nicotine helps reduce stress. Realize that quitting use of an addictive substance is stressful in itself, but reducing your intake will have a noticeable benefit. As your health improves, so does your resilience, and limiting chemicals that increase stress levels will give you even more of a boost.
• Use relaxation techniques: You don’t have to meditate and light incense to relax. Try listening to talk radio during your commute instead of music. Surprisingly, this helped me get in gear for the day and served as a distraction to keep me from worrying about the day ahead. Other recommended activities include going out to a restaurant or movie once a week, taking up a hobby, or doing something that gives you a break from your normal routine. The key here for me was to consciously decide to relax and to take full advantage of downtime opportunities.
• Build a circle of friends for social support: Besides having people to talk to when you need to vent some steam, building a social circle gives you a distraction from your own problems. Additionally, socializing can serve as informal networking, and you may find solutions to issues you’re having through the experiences of others. The primary goal here, however, is to build relationships that are healthy and supportive.
• Manage your time: Working on time management has multiple benefits, as well. Not only will you come to an understanding of where you’re spending your time, but you’ll also be able to use what time you do have more efficiently. In the long run, this results in less stress due to greater control over your schedule. Additionally, you will be able to find the time to relax that you didn’t know you had!

TOP CHANGES FOR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/lowstresslife.htm

• Maintain An Organized Living Space:
  A cluttered environment can literally drain your energy and cause additional stress! Conversely, a beautifully decorated, soothing environment can be a haven where you can escape from the stressors in your life. Working on de-cluttering your home, getting organized about cleaning, or even practicing Feng Shui are all ways you can work toward the goal of having a beautiful and organized living space.

• Learn to Organize Your Time:
  By keeping a schedule, learning to say no to excessive demands on your time, and utilizing shortcuts in your life, you’ll be less frantic, and have more time to do the things that energize and de-stress you. You’ll also have more time to do things that you enjoy in life.

• Cultivate A Supportive Social Circle:
  Those with a supportive social circle, or even just one close friend or partner to talk to and lean on in times of crisis, enjoy healthier, less stressful lives. (And they have more fun!) If you make the commitment to meet more people, and better develop the relationships you have, you’ll find that the payoff is more than worth the effort.

• Take Care of Your Body:
  If your body is healthy and in good repair, you’re better able to handle stressors in your life. However, an unhealthy body can cause great amounts of additional stress. Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, getting massages and pampering yourself are all good ways to take care of your body and make stress management easier.

• Renew Your Spirit:
  We carry stress in our bodies, and hold it in our minds, so a stressful experience can stay with and keep affecting us after the actual experience has ended. Managing stress in your daily life can be much easier on your mental, physical and emotional state if you take regular breaks from it. There are many great stress-relieving exercises that can help you release both the tension from your body, and the stressful thoughts from your mind, making you more at peace and able to handle the stress that comes in each new day.[
  As you develop these stress-relieving practices in your daily life, you should experience less stress, and be better able to handle the stress you do experience, leading to a happier, more healthy life.
  http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/streamline.htm

• Rid Yourself of Solicitations:
  Many of us get stressed by paper clutter, the pile of papers that come into our homes in the form of bills, school papers, junk mail and more. Many people feel so overwhelmed by the massive influx of paper that they lose bills and other important papers in the sea of written materiel. You can save trees and your sanity by writing to the appropriate organizations to eliminate junk mail, and find an efficient system to organize the remaining papers that are relevant to your life, eliminating the need to ever again search through piles for what you need.

• Sign Up For Classes:
  If you’d like to get more fun into your life, or find a regular form of exercise to relieve stress and get into better physical condition, it’s a great idea to sign yourself up for a class. This way, you have it in your schedule, and there will be people waiting for you to encourage you along each time. (This can be great for your motivation.) While bringing something new to your schedule may make you more busy, it can add to your quality of life, which will cut down on stress.

• Pay Automatically:
  If you find yourself paying bills late even when you have the money in your account, simply because you’re so busy you forget to pay them (or even if you pay your bills on time, but don’t like the hassle), you can save yourself time and postage money by signing up for automatic payments on many of your bills. Having the money withdrawn automatically from your account can virtually eliminate the need to sit down and write all the checks, and you’ll be guaranteed that your bills will be paid on time. It takes a few minutes to set up, and you save yourself significant amounts of hassle each month.

• Make a Financial Plan:
  A large proportion of the population experiences financial stress on a regular basis. Many people are in deep debt and don’t know how to get in the black; others life paycheck to paycheck and have no savings in case of a disaster; others don’t know where they stand, and are concerned about it. If you’re one who is stressed about money, now is the time to change that. Making a budget, a plan to get out of debt, and a plan to save for your future can help you sleep better at night from now on, and can pand can put you in a much better place in the future. If you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of putting this together by yourself, go to a financial advisor; it will be well worth it in the long run. (For tips on choosing a financial planner, you can go to About.com's Financial Planning Site; to search among a directory of financial planners, you can visit the Financial Planning Association's PlannerSearch.)

• Make Appointments Now For The Rest Of The Year:
  One thing you can do to take care of yourself and your family now is to make all of your regular appointments for the next year now. Regular check-ups at the dentist, physicals at the doctor’s, and even tune-ups for your car need to be done once or twice a year. If you make all appointments of this type now, you won’t have to think about fitting them into your schedule for at least a year, and you can put it out of your mind.

• Automate Your Diet:
  Some leading dieticians advise a new practice that can also save you stress in the morning: Eat the same thing everyday for breakfast and lunch. If you stick with healthy staples that provide plenty of nutrients, you can simplify your grocery shopping and your morning routine, and quite possibly lose weight while eliminating the need to even think about what you’re going to eat for any meal except dinner. And if you stick to some simple and healthy staples, you can eliminate even more stress from your lifestyle.

10 TIPS TO REDUCE STRESS

http://www.psychpage.com/family/library/reducestress.html

• Get up 15 minutes earlier each morning. That gives you a little more time to eat something, run back to get something you forgot, or enjoy a cup of coffee before heading out the door. If you drive to work, a 15 or 20 minute headstart may decrease some of the traffic you face, and make the commute less stressful.
  
• Prepare for mishaps. Make an extra copy of your house key and bury it in your neighbors' yard; make a second copy of your car key and tape it under your coworker's desk. Both may allow you to get home and inside the house if you loose your keys. If you do have to use them, pat yourself on the back for being smart.
  
• Don't do something if you will have to lie about it afterwards. While this may seem obvious, the nagging guilt we feel often wears us down or makes us anxious about getting caught... Sure, it may be more time consuming to fax your resume to new job sites from a friend's house, but you don't have to worry about being caught.
  
• Do something healthy for yourself. That could mean taking the stairs once a day instead of the elevator, picking one day a week to have a salad for lunch, or eating fresh fruit instead of a candy bar. What's the overall effect on your health? Maybe not much, but small steps lead to bigger ones, and doing something simple for your body is the best way to start.
  
• Write it down. There is an old Chinese proverb that goes, "the palest ink is better than the most retentive memory." All those "Seven Secrets" tips are based on writing things down. Write down goals, errands, chores, due dates for projects and library books... Instead of just a "To Do" list, keep a "Have Done" list too. Move things over to that list after having completed them. At the end of the day, review how productive you were.
  
• Do something special on a whim. Buy flowers for your partner unexpectedly. Sneak a small greeting card that says "I love you" into your child's lunch box. Bring donuts, bagels, or muffins to the office for others one morning. You get the picture. Someone else's smile and "Thanks" can sometimes make a bad day better.
  
• Be willing to forgive others. Allowing others the right to make a mistake goes a long way toward forgiving yourself for mistakes. Assume that others are doing the best they can. This goes a long way toward doing the best you can as well.
  
• Don't eat lunch at your desk. Get away to somewhere quiet or different if only for a 15 or 20 minute break.
  
• Delegate new jobs. Say no to avoid additional responsibilities. Simplify. Put your best effort into a task, and ask yourself, "Is it really that important?" before you decide to do it over. Learn to ignore others' criticism sometimes.
  
• Get up and stretch periodically. Twist side to side and bend front to back. Roll your head around to stretch your neck a bit. Trade shoulder rubs with a coworker. If you used to smoke, but have stopped, get up and take a break anyway when you feel the need to smoke. A quick trip to the water cooler, to a coworker's desk, or to the restroom doesn't provide the nicotine a cigarette used to, but it does give you the break and moment's respite a cigarette did.

REDUCE STRESS THRU TIME MANAGEMENT
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/time-management/WL00048

But how do you get back on track when organizational skills don't come naturally? To get started, choose one of these tips, try it for two to four weeks and see if it helps. If it does, consider adding another one. If not, try a different one.

• Plan each day. Planning your day can help you feel more in control of you life. Write a to-do list, putting the most important tasks at the top. Keep a schedule of your daily activities to minimize conflicts and last-minute rushes.
• Prioritize your tasks. Like many people, you may be spending the majority of your time on a small percentage of your tasks. Prioritizing will ensure you spend your time and energy on those that are truly important to you.
• Say no to nonessential tasks. Consider your goals and schedule before agreeing to take on additional work.
• Delegate. Take a look at your to-do list and consider what you can eliminate or pass on to someone else.
• Take the time you need to do a quality job. Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in time spent making corrections, which takes more time overall.
• Break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. Work on them a few minutes at a time until you get them all done.
• Practice the 10-minute rule. Work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day. Once you get started, you may find you can finish it.
• Evaluate how you're spending your time. Keep a diary of everything you do for three days to determine how you're spending your time. Look for time that can be used more wisely. For example, could you take a bus or train to work and use the commute to catch up on reading? If so, you could free up some time to exercise or spend with family or friends.
• Get plenty of sleep and exercise. Improved focus and concentration will help improve your efficiency so that you can complete your work in less time.
• Take a time management course. If your employer offers continuing education, take a time management class. If your workplace doesn't have one, find out if a local community college, university or community education program does.
• Take a break when needed. Too much stress can derail your attempts at getting organized. When you need a break, take one. Take a walk. Do some quick stretches at your workstation. Take a day of vacation.

5 STRESS RELIEF STRATEGIES

http://www.thehappyguy.com/articles/stress-relief.html

• Stress Relief Tip #1: Do one thing at a time.
  Do it mindfully. Do it well. Enjoy the satisfaction.  Then go on to the next thing. Multitasking might work for computers, but humans have yet to get the hang of it. It leads to careless mistakes, shoddy work and unreliable performance. Worst of all, having to do things over. This is no way to live. Give what you're doing your undivided attention. Take the time to get it right. And enjoy the experience.

• Stress Relief Tip #2: Cut down on competitive stress.
  It is Day 2 of our stress-relief strategies.  G. Gaynor McTigue, author of the best-selling "Why Make Yourself Crazy?", is with us all week, and he offers another of his top 5 tips to reduce stress.
  Today, we compete for everything: the space around us, to be first to own a new product, to get our kids signed up for programs, to get our viewpoints across, to be faster, smarter, richer, sexier. Our days are filled with stressful competitions. And most are absolutely unnecessary. Because they're driven by insecurity, fear of being left behind, an ingrained need to always have more or better than the next guy. Try to get above all that. If you want to compete, vie to be the one who stays calm and in control, who isn't easily sucked in by material things, who avoids being caught up in the daily grab-bag that robs people of health and peace of mind. Compete for that and see how pointless all those other competitions become. And how misguided those who partake in them begin to appear.

• Stress Relief Tip #3: Throw something out every day.
  We are at the mid-point of stress-relief week.  G. Gaynor McTigue, author of the best-selling "Why Make Yourself Crazy?", offers another favorite stress-relief strategy:
  You've got too much stuff in your house. Office. Garage. Attic. Useless clutter that's weighing you down, getting in the way, obscuring the things you really need. Be realistic. If you're not going to use it, lose it. And you don't have to make a humongous project out of it. Every day, find one thing you don't need and toss it. Or give it away. Over time, the clutter will begin to vanish and space and order will magically appear in your home...and your life.

• Stress Relief Tip #4: Eliminate meaningless deadlines.
  This is stress-relief week at www.TheHappyGuy.com.  G. Gaynor McTigue, author of the best-selling "Why Make Yourself Crazy?", offers this stress-relief strategy:
  Our life is full of them. Arbitrary and unrealistic time constraints imposed by ourselves and others that serve only to make us more pressured, anxious, stressed out. For no worthwhile reason. Avoid the trap of assigning time frames to everything you do, especially if you have little idea how long it will take. Instead, make your goal one of completing a project in a careful, profession- al, satisfying manner. In other words, as long as it takes to do it right.  Save your nerves, and your energy, for the few real deadlines we face...like April 15th.

• Stress Relief Tip #5: Get more out of life by doing less.
  All week we have been featuring stress-reduction strategies from G. Gaynor McTigue, author of the best-selling "Why Make Yourself Crazy?"  We thank him for being with us as we learn from the final of his top 5 strategies to reduce stress:
  
  What a concept! Is your life fulfilling? Or is it merely crammed? Know the difference and you'll realize it's not the quantity of activities you engage in (or possessions you collect) that ultimately determine your happiness. One naturally unfolding, enriching experience can easily surpasses many rushed and distracted ones. But you may be so chronically overscheduled, you never give yourself a chance to enjoy anything to the fullest.  Experiment. Choose an occasion and give it your complete, mindful and unhurried attention. Then imagine an entire life of such enrichment. It's absolutely attainable.

ANGER MANAGEMENT TIPS  TO REDUCE STRESS

http://www.thehappyguy.com/anger-management-tips.html

For those who have a tough time controlling their anger, an anger management plan might help. Think of this as your emotional control class, and try these self-help anger management tips:

• ANGER MANAGEMENT TIP #1
  Ask yourself this question: "Will the object of my anger matter ten years from now?" Chances are, you will see things from a calmer perspective.
  
• ANGER MANAGEMENT TIP #2
  Ask yourself: "What is the worst consequence of the object of my anger?" If someone cut in front of you at the book store check-out, you will probably find that three minutes is not such a big deal.
  
• ANGER MANAGEMENT TIP #3
  Imagine yourself doing the same thing. Come on, admit that you sometimes cut in front of another driver, too ... sometimes by accident. Do you get angry at yourself?
  
• ANGER MANAGEMENT TIP #4
  Ask yourself this question: "Did that person do this to me on purpose?" In many cases, you will see that they were just careless or in a rush, and really did not mean you any harm.
  
• ANGER MANAGEMENT TIP #5
  Try counting to ten before saying anything. This may not address the anger directly, but it can minimize the damage you will do while angry.
  
• ANGER MANAGEMENT TIP #6
  Try some "new and improved" variations of counting to ten. For instance, try counting to ten with a deep slow breathe in between each number. Deep breathing -- from your diaphragm -- helps people relax.
  
• ANGER MANAGEMENT TIP #7
  Or try pacing your numbers as you count. The old "one-steamboat-two-steamboat, etc." trick seems kind of lame to me. Steamboats are not the best devices to reduce your steam. How about "One-chocolate-ice-cream-two-chocolate-ice-cream", or use something else that you find either pleasant or humorous.
  
• ANGER MANAGEMENT TIP #8
  Visualize a relaxing experience. Close your eyes, and travel there in your mind. Make it your stress-free oasis

   

REDUCE PREVENT AND COPE WITH STRESS

Taking charge of stressDealing with Stressful Situations

In our frenetic, fast-paced world, many people deal with frequent or even constant stress. The overextended working mother, the hard-charging “Type A” personality, the self-critical perfectionist, the chronic worrier: they’re always wound up, always stretched to the breaking point, always rushing around in a frenzy or juggling too many demands.
Operating on daily red alert comes at the high price of your health, vitality, and peace of mind. But while it may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level—the bills aren’t going to stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your errands, your career will always be demanding—you have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management.
Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun—and the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on.

Not all stress can be avoided, and it’s not healthy to avoid a situation that needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.

• Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.
• Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely. 
• Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you anxious, turn the TV off. If traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.
• Avoid hot-button topics – If you get upset over religion or politics, cross them off your conversation list. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when it’s the topic of discussion.
• Pare down your to-do list – Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you’ve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.

How Resilient Are You?

Your ability to handle and bounce back from stress depends on many factors, including a:

Stress management strategy #2: Alter the situation

If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Figure out what you can do to change things so the problem is avoided in the future. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life.

• Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you don’t voice your feelings, resentment will build and the situation will likely remain the same.
• Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground.
• Be more assertive. Don’t take a backseat in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. If you’ve got an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk.
• Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead, you can avoid these stress-inducing pitfalls.

Stress management strategy #3: Accept the things you can’t change

Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You can’t prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it’s easier than railing against a situation you can’t change.

• Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our control— particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.
• Look for the upside. As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.
• Share your feelings. Talk to a trusted friend or make an appointment with a therapist. Expressing what you’re going through can be very cathartic, even if there’s nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.
• Learn to forgive. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentments.Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.

Stress management strategy #4: Adapt to the stressor

If you can’t change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful situations and regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude.

• Reframe problems. Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.
• Look at the big picture. Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere.
• Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable standards for yourself and others, and learn to be okay with “good enough.”
• Focus on the positive. When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts. This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective.

Adjusting Your Attitude

How you think can have a profound affect on your emotional and physical well-being. Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. If you see good things about yourself, you are more likely to feel good; the reverse is also true. Eliminate words such as "always," "never," "should," and "must." These are telltale marks of self-defeating thoughts.
Source: National Victim Assistance Academy, U.S. Department of Justice

Stress reduction tips

Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by making healthy lifestyle choices and taking care of yourself. If you regularly make time for rest and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to handle life’s stressors when they inevitably come.

Nurture yourself

Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.

• Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.
• Connect with others. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life. A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress.
• Do something you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.
• Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.

Healthy stress reducers

INSTANT RELAXATION TECHNIQUES FROM MIND TOOLS
http://www.mindtools.com/stress/RelaxationTechniques/PhysicalTechniques.htm

Introduction:
This tool introduces three useful physical relaxation techniques that can help you reduce muscle tension and manage the effects of the fight-or-flight response on your body. This is particularly important if you need to think clearly and perform precisely when you are under pressure.

The techniques we will look at are Deep Breathing, Progressive Muscular Relaxation and “The Relaxation Response”.

Using These Techniques:
Deep Breathing:
Deep breathing is a simple but very effective method of relaxation. It is a core component of everything from the "take ten deep breaths" approach to calming someone down, right through to yoga relaxation and meditation. It works well in conjunction with other relaxation techniques such as Progressive Muscular Relaxation, relaxation imagery and meditation to reduce stress.
 
To use the technique, take a number of deep breaths and relax your body further with each breath. That's all there is to it!

Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR):
Progressive Muscular Relaxation is useful for relaxing your body when your muscles are tense.

The idea behind PMR is that you tense up a group of muscles so that they are as tightly contracted as possible. Hold them in a state of extreme tension for a few seconds. Then, relax the muscles to their previous state. Finally, consciously relax the muscles even further so that you are as relaxed as possible.
 
By tensing your muscles first, you will probably find that you are able to relax your muscles more than would be the case if you tried to relax your muscles directly.

Experiment with PMR by forming a fist, and clenching your hand as tight as you can for a few seconds. Then relax your hand to its previous tension, and then consciously relax it again so that it is as loose as possible. You should feel deep relaxation in your hand muscles.

For maximum relaxation you can use PMR in conjunction with breathing techniques and imagery.

The “Relaxation Response”:
We mentioned “The Relaxation Response” in our article on Meditation. In a series of experiments into various popular meditation techniques, Dr. Benson established that these techniques had a very real effect on reducing stress and controlling the fight-or-flight response. Direct effects included deep relaxation, slowed heartbeat and breathing, reduced oxygen consumption and increased skin resistance.

This is something that you can do for yourself by following these steps:

• Sit quietly and comfortably.
• Close your eyes.
• Start by relaxing the muscles of your feet and work up your body relaxing muscles.
• Focus your attention on your breathing.
• Breathe in deeply and then let your breath out. Count your breaths, and say the number of the breath as you let it out (this gives you something to do with your mind, helping you to avoid distraction).

Do this for ten or twenty minutes.

An even more potent alternative approach is to follow these steps, but to use relaxation imagery instead of counting breaths in step 5.

Summary:
“Deep Breathing,” “Progressive Muscular Relaxation,” and the steps leading to the “Relaxation Response” are three good techniques that can help you to relax your body and manage the symptoms of the fight-or-flight response.

These are particularly helpful for handling nerves prior to an important performance, and for calming down when you are highly stressed.

SPECIAL STRESS REDUCING TIPS FOR WOMEN OVER 50
http://www.webmd.com/solutions/women-over-fifty/life-balance

For women over 50, the effects of chronic stress are compounded. Your body isn't as resilient as it once was, so it needs better maintenance -- a healthier lifestyle -- to repair itself. Face it: It's time to reduce stress.
The keys to less stress and greater happiness? They aren't more money or material . They're positive action, good health, good relationships, and a sense of optimism.

How to Reduce Stress and Achieve Emotional Balance

1. Exercise regularly. Exercise reduces stress, improves mood, and boosts overall health. It also helps you sleep better.
2. Build a support system. For some people, becoming part of a religious community helps reduce stress. For others it may be diving into a swim club, or a sewing circle. But wherever your find them, solid friendships help you feel warmth, security, connection.
3. Keep a positive attitude. Look for silver linings and good news. Make a gratitude list.
4. Let go of negatives. Accept that there are things you cannot control.
5. Be assertive instead of aggressive. Instead of becoming angry, defensive, or passive, assert your feelings, opinions, or beliefs.
6. Find ways to relax. Learn to meditate. Try relaxation tapes and CDs. Listen to the great music of classical composers.
7. Develop new interests. Having a sense of adventure can help you reduce stress. Tune in to your dreams. Find things to be passionate about. Find a hobby. Be creative!
8. Get enough rest and sleep. When you're under stress, your body needs time to recover. Give it the rest it needs.
9. Eat healthy, balanced meals. Your body needs good nutrition to fight effects of stress. Also, don't rely on alcohol to quiet your anxiety.
10. Volunteer. When you commit yourself to helping others, you find purpose. You take the focus off yourself, but you achieve a feeling of accomplishment.

TIPS TO REDUCE STRESS (source: Job Bank America)
http://www.jobbankusa.com/CareerArticles/Personal_Aspects/ca6806a.html

1. Eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits.

2. Drink plenty of water. Minimum of 8 glasses per day.

3. Read good books to divert mind.

4. Quit smoking and alcohol consumption.

5. Make a 'To do list' and a time table for each day well in advance.

6. Share your feelings with friends and loved ones.

7. Forgive others. Don't remain angry for long .Be frank and open-minded.

8. Concentrate on hobbies.

9. Take breaks in between work. Don't work too long .

10. Get enough rest. Sleep at least 7 hrs a day.

11. Get a body massage done by an experienced masseur.

12. Laugh and develop a sense of humor.

13. Exercise regularly.

14. Think positively.

15. Wear your favorite clothes and dress up well.

16. Set reasonable goals.

17. Contribute to a good cause.

18. Love and respect yourself and others.

19. Have safe ,protected sex.

20. Try visualization. Visualization is similar to Daydreaming. But done in a systematic manner. Follow the steps mentioned below to gain maximum benefits from visualization.

A. Find a quiet room or place without any disturbances. No radios, televisions, or mobile phones.

B.Become aware of your breathing and notice how the diaphragm expands and contracts as you breathe.

C. Make a mental picture of tension in your muscles - see a clenched fist or a tightly contorted facial muscle.

D. Watch the fist open, the face smooth out. Move down the body from head to toes, visualizing tight muscles and seeing them relax and smooth out.

E. Imagine yourself in a beautiful garden, a sunny golden beach, in green, scented woods, or in any place which for you like the most. If you don't have such a place invents one.

F. Now Imagine about all sweet and happy things you want to happen in life. Example becoming very rich person, Becoming a world famous sports person, or spending a holiday with your favorite celebrity.

ELIMINATING THE 3 MOST STRESS CAUSING AGENTS FROM DAILY LIFE
Check out the below mentioned points to eliminate stress-causing agents from your daily lives:

• Financial Condition How are you faring financially? Most of the people today are stressed out because their needs are not satisfactorily met by their income. Some of them take loans in order to satisfy their needs but seldom do they foresee the repercussions of their actions. These people can shortly satisfy themselves by buying the item they desired from the loan but when it comes to returning the money, they hardly find themselves in a position to return that borrowed money. The result of all this - more stress. You must carefully plan your spending. Make budget every month allocating the money properly between what is needed and what is desired. It may look like a small thing but I promise you that it’ll go a long way in helping you reduce those panic attacks and anxiety related disorders from your everyday lives.
• Health Condition Keep a check on your health at all times. Never let yourself get overweight or underweight. Exercise or at least walk for 10-15 minutes daily to maintain a proper blood flow in your body. Exercise greatly increases your stamina, blood flow to mind and can be extremely helpful in reducing those Panic attacks, and anxiety related disorders from your life.
• Your Social Life One must maintain a healthy social life. After all a human beings are social animals but that does not mean that you have to be overly social. Maintain a perfect balance in your social life and the time you devote to yourself. Do not do drugs. They may look hip and it may seem to increase your stature amongst your friends but believe me they don‘t do anything of that sort. The only effect that they have is that they make your body hollow from inside. Do you know that an average cigarette contains a few hundred different chemicals? Moreover, some a few thousand would you want to take that inside you after knowing this?

SIMPLE TIPS TO REDUCE STRESS
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/simple-tips-reduce-stress-quickly-easily.html

Daily Stress Will:

Weaken your immune system.

Cause various organs to malfunction or fail.

Produce undesired chemicals (hormones and enzymes) in your system.

Eventually you will become ill if you subject yourself to a daily stress that has the ability to produce stressor-reactions.

De-Stress! And Beat Stress

If you understand that your stress is becoming chronic, you must begin to de-stress at the sign of the first symptoms.

It's easy; anyone can do it, anywhere. Follow these steps exactly, you will de-stress at once.

Initial deep breathing. Stop a moment, whatever you are doing, and take three deep and profound breaths. Close your eyes and visualize the air racing into your lungs with healing energy, and racing out of your lungs with stress-filled spent energy.

Withdraw! Wherever you are, there will be a restroom. Go there at once. Wash your face and especially your wrists with cold water. Feel the cold water bringing you balance (from the overheating the stress causes). Your skin temperature will actually drop! While you are alone, deep breathe as in the next step

Take three more deep breathes, but this time, double the inhalation response and the exhalation response. This is done by taking a double breathe, one short, followed by a longer breath. The exhalation is the same, double. At the end of three deep double breathes, you will be back to normal.

The last step is to wait. Feeling calmer, sit down (a toilet is an ideal place) and wait about 3 minutes. Feel yourself getting back to normal.

You are ready to face the world again, de-stressed. Remember, do these exercises each time you feel a prolonged stress, as the short stress is good for you, but long term stress is a killer.