In spite of the fact that everyone knows that our levels of stress appear to be increasing inexorably year by year, not everyone realizes that not all stress is bad. Stress can help you concentrate on the matter at hand. The task could be anything from trying to do a neat job to swimming away from a crocodile at a speed in excess of what you thought that you were capable of. Stress can help you get a job done and stress can save your life.

However, these 'good' stresses should be short term and once the reason for the stress has passed, the stress should pass with it too. The problem is when the stress does not go away, but builds up. When stress builds up to an unbearable level, things start to happen to your body and mind and the consequence can be serious.

The first thing you have to do is evaluate the cause of the stress that is building up in you. For example, is it psychological, physical or emotional? Stress often arises from disorder, so you could try to introduce some order into that part of your life that is upsetting you. For example, if you are worried about paying bills, you could try organizing your bill payment process and stick to it each month - say on the day after your cheque clears. By recognizing the things that are causing you stress, you are better able to put each of them in place and deal with them one by one.

The converse of stress is relaxation, so when you feel any stress building up, take measures to relax. These measures can be simple and not time consuming. For example, you could spend a moment taking a deep breath or two - many people do this before undertaking a difficult task, many do it unconsciously.

You could take a break, get a glass of water or stand up and stretch your muscles. Often, changing focus is enough - if you are balancing your cheque book stubs, change to writing a letter or do something else instead and come back to the stubs later.

Spoil yourself sometimes. Learn to give yourself treats. You could set yourself goals, tasks to be achieved, and reward yourself when you have finished them. I find this a fantastic technique for getting rotten jobs done. The more rotten the job, the bigger the reward - anything from a chocolate or a beer to a slap-up meal or a holiday.

You could try writing down the advantages and disadvantages of doing something and then 'sleeping on it' - let it rest for a few hours or a day or two and then go back and read your list. Have you missed something out? Are things still as dreadful as they first seemed? Try to see the good side of a bad state of affairs, after all, every cloud has a silver lining, even if you have to look hard to find it.

Learn your limitations. Sometimes, people will see that you 'seem to manage well', so they will lumber you with more work. If you can not say 'No' now and then, that can build up into a stressful situation for you even though you are proficient at your job. Some people take advantage - do not let them and do not criticize yourself for taking care of your well-being. It is you who will end up sick, not them. The keys to less stress can also lie in greater physical activity, a better social life and a healthier diet.