Treating stress

Reducing or eliminating the things that cause stress, when possible, and changing how you react to it are the safest and most effective ways to treat stress. No single method of stress management is always successful, so you might want to try a variety of approaches. Treating any medical symptoms caused by stress is important. Work with your GP and/or complementary health professional to determine what treatments work best for any stress-related illnesses you may have - from headache to high blood pressure and irritable bowel syndrome.

Part of your job will be to try and reduce your stress levels to improve your physical health. But, bear in mind that treating the stress may not cure the medical problems. However, a recent study indicated that stress management programmes might reduce the risk of cardiac events - like heart attack - by up to 75 per cent in people with heart disease.

Reducing stress is difficult. Often people succeed in relieving stress in the short term but return to old stress-producing habits. And personal responsibilities don't always lend themselves to stress-reducing tactics. The process of learning to control or redirect stress is life-long, but working to master it will improve your health.