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Too much stress for too long can lead to negative health and psychological consequences. People experiencing chronic stress can have problems sleeping, changes in their appetite, and problems regulating their moods. Stress can be the catalyst for many kinds of illness and health issues. This is why actively practicing regular stress management is so important.

There are many ways to reduce stress in your life. The first step is to recognize how stress may be impacting you. Are you feeling irritable? jumpy? tired all the time? Are you having trouble sleeping? Are you eating much more or much less than usual? Do you feel constantly time-pressured and compulsively check your "to-do" list– which, somehow, always seems longer today than it was yesterday?

If this sounds like you, here are some suggestions if you find your tendency to worry if affecting the quality of your life mentally, emotionally and physically.

If you have a problem that needs to be taken care of, stop procrastinating and just do what needs to be done. It may be hard to face, but once it's dealt with the stress in your life will go way down. Sometimes, we expend more energy avoiding a problem than it would take to tackle the problem head on.

If you have toxic people in your life, that is, people who make you feel uncomfortable, bad about yourself, lacking in some way, jumpy, sad, essentially too much negative emotion, limit the amount of time you spend with those people, or cut them out of your life. It's impossible to cut out certain people like beloved family members and co-workers, but you can in these cases, organize your life in such a way that you spend less time with them than you ordinarily would. And when you do have to spend time with a toxic person, schedule some time with a person whom you find uplifting afterward. It will be a positive antitode.

As an Indian woman, you may find it difficult to set boundaries around relationships; as, in general, our culture is very enmeshed. Your best bet, in this case, would be to limit the amount of time you spend around negative people, and try to spend some time recharging between contacts with these people.

Try positive visualization and affirmations. There are loads of books on the market with instructions on how to use these powerful tools. Many of us run negative stress-producing thoughts 24/7; without even realizing we're doing it! It is possible to replace these with positive thoughts and mental pictures. In fact, it is imperative to do so to reduce stress and living a more rewarding life.

Stay away from caffeine. The temporary boost it gives you isn't worth its cost in added jumpiness and roller coaster energy swings.

Start writing down your thoughts in a journal, both everything that worries you and everything you love about your life (that you can think of in one sitting). Then be done with it for the day, and go about living.  When I'm feeling really, really stressed, I make myself come up with a list of 100 things I'm grateful for. This simple change in perspective always reduces my stress level. It's impossible to be thankful and stressed out at the exact same time.

Get plenty of exercise. Exercise releases endorphins which make you feel good. It's also very good for your overall health and can often pop you out of a worried state of mind. It's also very beneficial for people who have depressive tendencies.

Try seeking help in the form of a counselor, therapist, or teacher. There's nothing quite like having the attention of a trained professional, someone who listens well and has some insights and ideas for you to try. Each of us is unique, and good therapists realize this, knowing that what works to reduce stress for one person isn't going to work for another person. It's always good to get a helping hand.

Allow yourself a few minutes each day, a very limited time, to worry to the hilt. Exaggerate your fears and negative mental images. Then when your time's up. Let it go until your next scheduled worry session.

Take a break from the media for a while-TV, radio, newspaper, magazines. Read a good, uplifting book instead, and go for long walks. It's amazing what even just a few days of this can do to improve your frame of mind. You might want to make it permanent. When you shift your focus, you shift your life.

If you're feeling really stressed, pick two items from this list and implement them this week. When you find stress busters that work, keep on doing them!

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