A well-timed primal scream might send stress packing for now, but it always sneaks back in the end. Keep the beast at bay with these long-term solutions...

We've all tried those quick fixes to ease stress and tension – a bar of chocolate, a glass of red wine, calling a friend for a rant. But while those tactics may work well as temporary diversions, where do you end up when you resurface? Back at square one. You need a whole new approach that will take you from distress to de-stress.

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Our complete guide to handling stress

Even though you have 101 things – and counting – on your to-do list, you never complain. But playing the martyr isn't good for your health.

Sort it: Research has shown that denying you're anxious and distressed is a major predictor of heart attacks – even more so than smoking or obesity.

Solve it: Admitting you're under pressure is the first step to letting go of it. ‘If you've fallen into the habit of keeping everything in, you might need to learn how to express your needs,' says psychologist and stress expert Michael Guttridge. ‘Assertiveness training can help put you back in control and help you to start saying no.'

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Our complete guide to handling stress

Nothing fractures your funny bone like stress – it can trap you in a cycle of negative thoughts, which leaves little space for a smile, let alone a laugh.

Sort it: Laughter is truly the best medicine – studies have shown that it causes a reduction in your body's levels of cortisol (one of the main stress hormones), and boosts feel-good hormones, such as serotonin.

Solve it: When you were a child you probably laughed most of the time, but adult responsibilities can suck the fun out of life. It can be hard to find the humour in some situations, but the positive body changes that accompany laughter happen when you fake it too. So laugh when your friends are laughing – even if you don't get the joke!

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Our complete guide to handling stress

Finding long-term solutions to stress can be a lot more difficult if you don't know what's causing it.

Sort it: Keep a stress diary for a month. Write down everything and anything that happens to you and make a note of how it makes you feel.

Solve it: Your diary is a map of your stress – read through it to pinpoint your stress triggers. It will also tell you how you reacted and whether your approach worked – if it did, it's one to try again.

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Our complete guide to handling stress

If you binge on coffee and comfort-eat when you're stressed, you're just inviting the kinds of highs and lows you're trying to avoid.

Sort it: Folic acid and B-vitamins help your body manufacture mood-boosting serotonin to keep you thinking positively.

Solve it: When you're writing your shopping list, include stress-busting foods. Leafy green veg, broccoli, oranges, bananas and fortified breakfast cereals are rich in folic acid (and low-fat milk poured onto cereal adds antioxidants). Find the B-vitamins your body needs in meat, tuna, salmon and eggs.

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Our complete guide to handling stress

You'd be surprised how much of your stress comes from the way you interpret what's going on, rather than from the events and situations themselves.

Sort it: Help reduce your worries by reframing – altering the way you perceive your life.

Solve it: Instead of comparing your bad day with the good times, compare it with the tougher times in your life – it'll help you to appreciate what you have.

It's a vicious circle – once you're under stress your body releases stress hormones that make it very hard to wind down. Meditation can help you to break the cycle.

Sort it: Are you cynical about alternative therapies? Studies have shown that people who meditate regularly produce fewer stress hormones.

Solve it: Chartered psychologist and life coach Alice Muir recommends this simple technique to clear out the negative thoughts that come with, and cause, stress. Sit with your eyes closed, and your arms resting on your thighs. Inhale through your nose, then exhale and imagine yourself breathing out tension all the way down your body. It can help to repeat a mantra silently as you exhale (here's where the famous ‘Om' comes in!). Do this for 10 minutes and then relax for a couple more.

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Our complete guide to handling stress

One of the keys to achieving a level of contentment that prevents chronic stress from taking hold is believing that there is a deeper meaning to your life.

Sort it: Get clued up on the difference between a goal and a purpose - goals are more likely to be materialistic and benefit you alone. A purpose, on the other hand, is usually about the greater good.

Solve it: Start thinking about how you can contribute to your family or community in a way that doesn't directly benefit you. Do you worry about homeless people or animal welfare? Getting involved, perhaps by collecting for a hospice or working in a charity shop, can give your life meaning and provide some perspective on the things that bother you.

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Our complete guide to handling stress

When you're stressed your self-esteem plummets - thinking that you can't cope with challenges can make you feel even lower.

Sort it: Surveys have suggested a link between low self-confidence and greater stress, so fire up your confidence and you'll cope better with stressful situations.

Solve it: Make a list of your strengths and achievements and stick it on the fridge or stow it in your desk drawer at work. In difficult situations it will serve as a reminder of all the great things you can do. ‘If you can get into the habit of telling yourself how smart and capable you are, it'll help you become more assertive,' says Alice Muir. ‘Building your confidence in this way makes you feel more able to fight your corner, when before you might have let life get to you - it helps you cope with put-downs and criticism.'

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Our complete guide to handling stress

Don't back away from changes or challenges – grit your teeth and make the leap to bigger and better things.

Sort it: The thought of change can cause stress to spike because it brings us face to face with the unknown. But denying yourself the chance to live up to your potential can have the same negative result.

Solve it: Trust your ability to change your life for the better, and think outside your personal box. Don't assume you've been promoted as far as you can: find out what extra qualifications you need to go further. ‘If you don't take risks,' Alice says, ‘you end up stuck in a loop of the same old self-defeating habits and lifestyle that stressed you out in the first place.'

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Our complete guide to handling stress

Modern life is all about juggling – job, kids, housework, social calendar – and at times all that stuff can threaten to ‘stuffocate' you.

Sort it: Compare your stress diary with your schedule for the week. What caused you most stress last week? What's enough to keep you happy this week?

Solve it: Based on the answers, try to dump the extra baggage, says Alice Muir. ‘Too much stuff piling up at work and home? Delegate!' she urges. ‘Shop online during your lunch break; share the driving with another mum for the kids' after-school activities; cancel your date with that friend who causes you more stress with her whingeing. It really can be that simple!'

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Our complete guide to handling stress