Your ultimate guide to beating stress

Do you need to tackle your stress levels?

You may think you know whether or not you\'re stressed, but sometimes it can be helpful to define how you feel.

These are the questions to ask yourself:

Do you bottle things up?

Do you often have difficulty sleeping, because you\'re worrying about tomorrow?

Do you feel like there isn\'t enough time in the day to do everything you need to?

If you answered yes to any or all of those, read on for insight and advice.

Stress: the warning signs

When your stress levels start to rise your body sends out clear warning signals. But do you know what to watch out for?

You have a headache

A pounding head is more likely if you\'re under stress because your blood will be beating around your system faster and your muscles will be tense.

You have spots

Acne\'s another sign you need to slow down. The Acne Support Group found that 57 per cent of sufferers had a break-out when they were under stress.

Your skin\'s itchy

Eczema is often linked to stress because skin is very sensitive to the changes in hormone levels that stress brings about.

You keep getting colds

Recurrent infections are more likely because stress hormones suppress your immune system.

Your back\'s hurting

Back pain is caused by the muscles contracting under stress, as your body thinks it\'s getting ready for fight or flight.

Change your diet

To deal with stress, your body needs to be properly nourished - both prior to and during periods of tension. A well-nourished person will cope better than a poorly nourished one, and so a healthy diet is a must.

Stress increases the requirement for certain vitamins and minerals - particularly vitamin C, magnesium and zinc. Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, kiwi and red peppers, will boost vitamin C levels. Nuts, seeds, beans, pulses, brown rice and green leafy vegetables provide good amounts of magnesium. Prawns, liver, wheat germ, nuts, seeds, red meat and poultry are all rich sources of zinc.

Base your meals and snacks around foods rich in complex carbohydrates, such as wholemeal bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, to encourage the brain to produce the neurotransmitter serotonin - which has a calming effect.

A sample stress-busting menu:

Breakfast: Porridge with soya milk; a glass of hot water with lemon juice.

Mid-morning snack: Handful of nuts, such as almonds; a fruit tea.

Lunch: Jacket potato with cottage cheese; or a wholemeal pitta with houmous and tuna. Fruit salad of strawberries, kiwi, melon and oranges.

Mid-afternoon snack: Two oatcakes with houmous or peanut butter.

Dinner: Organic trout or organic chicken, with brown rice and steamed broccoli and watercress.

Evening snack: A banana.

Tackle that tension

These tried and tested techniques can be used any time, anywhere.

Release tension in your shoulders and arms: Link your fingers and reach forward, with your arms at shoulder level, pushing your palms away from you. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then repeat three to five times.

Relax a tight neck and shoulders: Bring your shoulders up to your ears hold for five seconds, then slowly relax. Repeat five to 10 times.

Stretch your neck muscles: Look straight ahead and tilt one ear gently towards your shoulder. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat three to five times on each side.

Stretch your back: Place the heel of your hands on your lower back. Arch backwards gently, keeping your head and neck steady. Hold for up to 30 seconds. (You should never overstretch. Stretch only to the point where you feel comfortable.)

Five-minute fix: Try this quick tension reliever from massage and stress expert Robert Thé.

Put the tips of your index and middle fingers together and place them, facing each other, in the middle of your forehead.

Gently separate them, fanning and smoothing your forehead in the process. Return to the centre and repeat five times.

Then use the pads of your fingers to massage your forehead: make small circles and work across your forehead in parallel lines.

Use your index fingertips to press firmly between your eyebrows in line with your nose. Finish by gently patting your forehead and temple regions to re-energise yourself.

Stress and your weight

When we feel stressed out and time-strapped, most of us reach for the biscuit tin.

After all, there\'s nothing a chocolate digestive or two can\'t cure, is there? In fact, a recent survey by Kalms has found that 44 per cent of us admit to over-eating when stressed.

However, the weight gain that many of us experience along with a stressful, fast-moving lifestyle isn\'t all down to comfort-seeking munchies.

The fact is that stress physiologically changes the way our bodies work, actually making it more difficult to lose weight.

Click here to find out more.

Instant stressbusters

Easy and effective things to try when it all gets on top of you. We\'re not talking a handful of biscuits, a glass of wine or - heaven forbid - a cigarette, we\'re talking healthy, quick-fix solutions.

Click here to find out more.

Solve it, sort it

Discover what\'s causing your stress, then see how to solve it. 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.

Watch our relaxation videos

Snatch a moment for yourself, sit back and chill out with our relaxation videos:

Be calmed by the countryside.

or

Be soothed by the sea.

Don\'t worry, be happy

Maintain a positive mood with these easy ways to add a little happiness to your everyday life.

Click here to find out more.

Simplify your life

If a hectic schedule has strung you out, take a step back and give your head a holiday with these inspirational words from history\'s greatest thinkers.