It's impossible to banish stress from your life altogether; the key is to know how to handle it when it occurs

The following practices may help you from becoming overwhelmed and overanxious, or can be used when you feel tension building up to a crisis point:

Eat a balanced, nutritious diet. General health and stress resistance can be enhanced by eating well and by avoiding intake of alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and junk food.

Exercise regularly, because exercise promotes emotional well-being as well as physical fitness.

Schedule your time more effectively using a diary and to-do lists, prioritising activities and realising you can't do everything.

Learn how to say no to requests that add extra burdens and can wreak havoc on your day.

Insist on help with regular chores.

Balance work and play by planning time for hobbies and recreation - activities that relax your mind and take you away from stresses temporarily. Even diversions like taking a warm shower, going to the cinema or taking a walk can help you feel better.

Practise relaxation exercises every day, including visualisation, deep muscle relaxation, meditation and deep breathing.

Rehearse for stressful events. Imagine yourself feeling calm and confident in an anticipated stressful situation. You will be able to relax more easily when the situation arises.

Let yourself laugh and cry. Laughter makes your muscles go limp and releases tension, so try to keep a sense of humour. Tears can help cleanse the body of substances that accumulate under stress.

Talk out troubles. It sometimes helps to talk with a friend, relative, member of the clergy or other figure within the community. Another person can help you see a problem from a different point of view.

Help others. Because we concentrate on ourselves when we're distressed, sometimes helping others is the perfect remedy for whatever is troubling us.

Learn acceptance when a difficult problem is out of your control, which is better than worrying and getting nowhere.

Develop and maintain a positive attitude. View changes as positive challenges, opportunities or blessings.

Questions to ask your doctor

Take a look at the following questions about stress so you're prepared to discuss this important health issue with your doctor:

1. Could I have an underlying medical condition that could be causing my feelings of stress and anxiety?
2. Could some medication I'm taking be causing my feelings of stress and anxiety?
3. Has my stress caused physical or mental illness that needs to be dealt with medically, separately from the stress itself?
4. If the stress is left untreated, what will happen to my health?
5. Can you refer me to a mental health professional who can teach me how to best manage and control my stress?
6. Can you teach me various relaxation techniques or refer me to someone who can?
7. Can you refer me to an effective stress management class or workshop?
8. How can exercise and adequate sleep help me manage my stress?
9. What is meditation? Can you teach me this technique or refer me to someone who can?
10. I have an upset stomach/diarrhoea/headaches/stiff neck nearly every day. Could this be stress? What are other signs of stress?
11. What substances should I stay away from if I'm having problems with stress? If alcohol relaxes me, why shouldn't I drink when I feel stressed?
12. What should I do if my stress becomes too overwhelming for me to cope with?

Lifestyle tips

1. Coping with fear and anxiety about war, terrorism and other public threats
If you're worried about unknown danger, turn it into something known. Educate yourself on the current situation and recommendations from the government and public health authorities. Make reasonable plans to take safety precautions, then think about something else. Leave the television and radio off if they're only increasing your anxiety. Get involved in activities that are familiar and rewarding, such as hobbies, gardening, cleaning something out, playing an outdoor sport or going to the cinema. Talk to your friends and family. Plan a weekend getaway. Don't drink or smoke to compensate for anxiety, as ultimately it doesn't really make stress go away and can damage your health.

2. Try writing out your stress
If you are under stress or recovering from a traumatic event, could keeping a diary help? Studies of college students suggest that it may. Students were told to write of their experiences at college for 20 minutes three times per week, but half were instructed to write about their deepest feelings and tie them together at the end of the diary entry. The other half simply wrote of their day and what they could do better. After testing, the first group of students was found to have better memory and fewer problems with intrusive, negative thoughts about stressful events.

3. When both partners are stressed
Learn to recognise the signs of stress in each other. Don't take everything that either of you say or do too seriously if you're both very stressed. Use good-natured humour to relieve the tension. Avoid criticism or negativity. Be flexible. Gentle touching, a mutual foot rub, massage or a bath are all likely to help. Do stretches involving two people. Take turns with chores. Plan a strategy for the week, with both of you sharing the load. Be realistic about what you can accomplish and set priorities. Give each other opportunities to talk, and for quiet time. Get enough sleep.

4. Reduce stress at work
Get enough sleep, exercise regularly and eat nutritional meals to best prepare for coping with work-related stress. Avoid or cut back on alcohol, smoking, caffeine and sugar. Drink water to stay hydrated. Get to work early and use planning techniques and prioritising to manage your time. Anticipate that not everything will happen on schedule, and build in buffer time. Delegate if you can. Look for creative ways to solve problems or work around them rather than simply getting angry. Get to know your co-workers a little better. Get up and walk around periodically if you have a desk job.

5. Help your child cope with stress
Manage your own stress, as your child is sensitive to your anxiety. Make time to spend with your child one-on-one, in a quiet environment without distractions. Ask your child to talk to you, and even if the conversation doesn't focus on your child's worries or concerns, listen carefully. Spend time in outdoor or indoor activities with your child. Encourage a regular schedule with enough time for sleep and balanced meals. Teach your child assertiveness and problem-solving techniques to replace too-passive or too-aggressive behaviour. Encourage your child to build up a network of friends. Make your home a welcoming place.