Stress is the emotional and physical strain caused by our response to pressure from the outside world. Common stress reactions include tension, irritability, inability to concentrate, and a variety of physical symptoms that include headache and a fast heartbeat. Our bodies have an amazing ability to respond very quickly to stress. It increases our heart rate and pumps itself with adrenaline. This gets us ready to ‘fight or run’ from the stressful situation. Unfortunately when we allow ourselves to constantly feel stressed our bodies are under constant strain. Physiologically our bodies have an unconscious stress response but in order for our bodies to relax we have to manually/consciously engage in a relaxation response. Our body does not unconsciously relax itself!
It's almost impossible to live without some stress. And most of us wouldn't want to, because it gives life some spice and excitement. But if stress gets out of control, it may harm your health, your relationships, and your enjoyment of life.
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 – plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on.

Steps to managing your stress

1.      Find out what your personal stressors are. Look at your daily routine with an objective and subjective point of view. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.

2.      How do you currently cope with stress?We have behavioural, emotional and physical habits that we adopt when we deal with stress. What is your attitude to your work load? Do you feel that you constantly have deadlines and worries at work no matter what you do?  We all have bad habits that we use to cope with stress. For example, drinking, smoking over/under eating, watching too much TV, using pills or drugs to relax, isolating yourself and procrastination. The way we approach our stressors can dramatically change our mental and physical health.                            
Tip: Keep a stress journal. As soon as you notice that you are getting stressed write it down and try and figure out exactly how you are reacting and what was the cause

3.      Find alternative coping methods.If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones. Take an active role in your physical, mental and emotional health. Take up a healthy activity, improve your diet, go for a massage, talk to somebody, and get enough sleep! There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they all require change. We all know that breaking bad habits and keeping good ones is a challenge but reducing stress in your life will lead to a longer, healthier and happier life.

The Four A’s of Stress Management.

1.     Avoid the stressor.

2.     Alter the stressor.    

3.     Adapt to the stressor.

4.     Accept the stressor.

Avoid unnecessary stress

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.

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 doesn’t present itself in the future. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life.

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. 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 favourite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.
How you think can have a profound effect 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.

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. Many things in life are beyond our control— particularly the behaviour 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. 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.