Short term stress can be easily controlled by these four tips.

Count from one to ten.

This is often used by mothers when their kids are angry and it works very well. Count to ten, if you are becoming stressed or you can identify the early signs or stress. It makes no difference if you say it aloud or quietly.

This is all you need when you can recognised the early symptoms of stress. I used this technique on an angry patient. I asked him to go back out, count to ten, relax, then come back in. When he returned, he was calmer and we had a meaningful conversation. You can count down from ten to zero. The individual can visualise the stress scaling down as the numbers get smaller until it reaches zero.

Take a deep breath.

It is best to breathe in through your nostril. Breathe in slowly and deeply. Fill your lungs completely and if you can, hold it to the count of four. You then slowly breathe out through your mouth.

Do this a few times and you will be aware that you are becoming calmer as your breathing slows down. This is something you can do anywhere. All you need to do is take a “breather”. It is quick and simple but reduces stress effectively. You can make it even more effective by using visualisation. Create in your mind a picture of stress leaving your body and spilling into your lungs as you hold your breath and, as you breathe out, you are expelling all the stress.

Get up and walk about.

This is a good way to gain stress relief quickly. If what you are doing is becoming very stressful, get up and walk away from it. I do not mean walk away from it for good. It gives your mind a break. It gives it time to calm down and come to grips with the situation. You may want to do something else during this break. This takes the stressful problem away from the forefront of your mind and allow your Subconscious Mind to find solution options. The eponymous Morgan Stanley, when he could not find a solution to a problem, would stop what he was doing and play solitaire. After a while several ideas came forwards in his mind.

If you can take a long break, go to the park. Being close to nature is relaxing. Experts say your brain synchronises with the earth’s frequency. Your brainwave slows down to a level that produces peace and tranquillity. If at home, do some house chores. Clean the house. Either get the duster or vacuum cleaner out. This helps to put the problem completely out your mind and when you return to your task, your approach will be different.

Talk to someone or write a journal.

Talking to someone is a good way to relieve stress. You are sharing the problem and it may not seem so bad after all. If that someone has experienced similar problems, you may receive some very good ideas on how to solve your problem. Writing a journal also relieve stress.

There is no better stress buster than a simple thought or idea in your mind that will lead to the solution to your problem. You become focussed and energised because you can visualise the successful outcome. Your stress will change to the desired stress that produces maximum efficiency.

When writing a journal, you are singling out specific items that cause you stress and by writing it on paper, you are changing it into words. It is now up to you to discard or keep. This is very useful if you are alone and there is no one nearby to talk to. It is next best thing to talking to a best friend or family member.