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Stress is a common occurrence in everyone's life. Perhaps the best way to deal with stress is to recognize that it is in fact a reality of human existence. There are a multitude of reasons for stress in our lives. Sometimes we experience stress because of choices which we make and at other times circumstances beyond our control are the source of stress.

Here are several ways to deal with stress.

Sleep

Adequate rest serves to protects us from the sometimes debilitating effects of stress. Our body and mind need to be functioning at peek efficiency so we are able to analyze the reasons for our stress and systematically deal with the issues involved.

Exercise or Relaxation

Exercise not only contributes to our physical well-being, but also enables our minds and our thinking to be as clear as possible. Exercise requires a degree of concentration and enables us to be removed from thinking about our stress. Increasing our heart and respiration rates helps our circulatory and respiratory systems, provides a better sense of self-awareness and enhances our physical and mental strength to deal with issues in our lives.

Often relaxation exercises such as Yoga serve to reduce our stress levels.

Write

Often when we reduce our mental worry to something that can be seen, we can address the basic cause for our stress and develop a plan to address the issue. This is particularly effective if our cause of stress is a financial worry. Develop a budget and then refer to it if worry starts to haunt.

Keeping a journal that expresses one's thoughts and feeling often makes it easier to deal with stress. The process of creating a document that explores our thinking can lead to insights about ourselves which may offer relief. Additionally, the act of creating a written document can serve to refocus our mental activity.

Talk

Discussing an issue with family or friends offers a sense of relief from stress and another individuals view of events or circumstances may provide a pathway to more successfully dealing with an issue. Sometimes that mere fact that we can talk and reflect upon events or occurrences will serve to reduce our stress.

If family or friends are not available, it may be appropriate to talk to a clergyman or a professional counselor that can bring experience and objectivity into view.

Change

Perhaps a change of environments will eliminate a source of stress. While we might not be able to physically move, we can avoid or ignore stressful situations. Sometimes our stress might be self-induced and we need to change or modify our attitudes about certain situations.

Cry

Often events become extremely emotional. Crying is an outlet that serves to provide relief. Sometimes repressing our feelings leads to a higher level of stress.

Take A Break

Perhaps a vacation is in order after a particularly stressful event. This serves to provide the rest and relaxation that is essential for a well-balanced life. Just a day or two of relief can provide the opportunity to refresh, renew and reinvigorate ourselves.