First before we start, we would like to thank all of you who have given us comments and advices on our blog, thank you very much.

Here is a new point on how to manage stress, we hope you enjoy it:

"Responding" in the days of early man meant fighting the source of stress or running away from it. Your body will still produce a physical "alarm response" that pumps stress hormones through your body, tensing your muscles and speeding up your heart. This "alarm response" in most cases doesn't do us any good - and it can be harmful.
You can learn to turn off the alarm response and regain control. You can learn to respond calmly, and deal actively and positively with your stress, whether it is caused by outside or internal

factors.

Two useful techniques for responding calmly are:

A brief time out is the simplest possible approach to stress:
Stop the activity (or the conversation) that was causing you stress.
If you can move away, go to another room, or go for a short walk.
If you can't move away, count to 10 silently before you speak again.
You can often tell if people are under stress because of the way they are breathing. For example, customs officers have noticed that smugglers are the people taking fast, shallow breaths. If you learn to control your breathing, it will help you regain control over the effects of stress.
Abdominal breathing can be very soothing, because it slows you down. It is also efficient, bringing a good supply of oxygen to your brain.

Prepare for stressful times by practicing your breathing now:
Check your breathing pattern by putting one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. If your lower hand moves and your top hand does not, you are doing abdominal breathing. But if your top hand moves and your bottom one does not, you are doing chest breathing.
To do abdominal breathing, get your stomach relax. Breathe in deeply, then breathe all the air out. Let your lungs fill with air again naturally, while your stomach expands.
Practice this "belly breathing" whenever you have spare time (eg. while you are driving).
Whenever you are stressed, worried, or tense, use your breathing to help calm yourself down. Take a deep breath and quietly let it go out completely, then let your abdomen expand as the air comes back into your lungs. Keep noticing your abdominal breathing for another few breaths.

For a variation on this breathing technique, try "10-to-one countdown" breathing:
Start with abdominal breathing, letting all the breath out and then allowing your abdomen to expand as your lungs fill up again.
When you breathe out again, say "10," letting go of tension as if it is being carried out of your body with the air.
Next time you breathe out, say "nine," and so on, all the way down to "one."
When you get to "one," start again.
Each time you breathe out, tell yourself you are letting go of tension.
Many people repeat this sequence slowly for a period of 15 to 20 minutes. They find that with each new countdown, they reach a deeper level of relaxation.

When we are under stress, we often feel things are happening too fast. Another technique, called slow-down breathing, can help you get settled down and in control. It starts with abdominal breathing, and uses cue words to help you focus and clear your mind. Examples of cue words are:
As you breathe in, silently say "calm".
As you breathe out, silently say "smiling" .
As you breathe in, say "present".
As you breathe out, say "now".

Practice breathing techniques for five or 10 minutes until you get the feel of it, then again several times a day for a few moments. Then it will be instantly ready to use as a "mini-tranquilizer" whenever you notice yourself starting to feel tense or out of control.

Think of yourself as a car that's equipped with lights and gauges to warn you if any problems are developing. If you keep an eye on the gauges and catch the trouble early, the problem may be easy to fix. If you ignore the warning signs, you may be in for a major repair job.

You should assess yourself for four types of stress signs:
• Changes in body functions and physical health
• Changes in emotions and feelings
• Changes in behaviour
• Changes in thoughts