Treating stress

Deep breathing. During stress, breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Taking a deep breath is an effective technique for winding down. Inhale through your nose slowly and deeply to the count of ten, making sure your stomach and abdomen expand but your chest does not rise. Exhale through your nose also to the count of ten. Concentrate fully on the breathing and counting. Repeat five to ten times. The goal is to take six deep breaths per minute.

Relaxing your muscles. Sitting anywhere, even at your desk, relax your shoulders, let your arms drop to your side, rest your hands on top of your thighs, relax your legs, and don't forget your jaw muscles, which often tense with stress. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. You can also do this lying in bed: beginning with the top of the head and progressing downward, focus on tensing then relaxing all the muscles in the body one by one while maintaining a slow, deep breathing pattern.

Passive stretches. Allow gravity to help you relax and stretch your muscles. Relax your neck and let your head fall forward to the right. Then let it drop even more as you breathe slowly. Do the same with your shoulders, arms and back.

Visualisation. Remember a relaxing time or place like a lakeside picnic or a beautiful beach scene. Close your eyes for a few minutes and picture it in your mind.

Meditation. The goal of meditation is to quiet the mind and to relax thought. Meditation can reduce your heart rate, blood pressure, adrenaline levels and skin temperature. It involves concentrating on a simple image or sound while in a comfortable place away from distractions. A number of organisations teach meditation.

Biofeedback. During this totally painless process, your relaxation skills are reinforced. You are encouraged to relax using methods such as those described above. Your brainwaves are measured via electric leads taped to your head, and a biofeedback machine emits an auditory signal when it detects alpha waves - a frequency that coincides with a state of deep relaxation. By repeating the process, you associate the sound with the relaxed state and learn to achieve relaxation by yourself.

Massage therapy appears to slow down the heart and relax the body. Rather than causing drowsiness, however, massage actually increases alertness.

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