Effective time management is just one of many ways to keep from succumbing to stress overload. Some methods of stress management that you might want to experiment with to see what works best for your particular situation.

• Associate with people whom you enjoy and who support you.
• Learn and practice relaxation or meditation skills.
• Engage in a vigorous physical exercise that is convenient and pleasurable. Sometimes it helps to get a friend to exercise with you.
• Don't let one thing dominate you, such as schoolwork, relationships, jobs, sports, etc.
• View life as challenges to seek, not obstacles to avoid.
• Take responsibility for your life and your feelings, but never blame yourself.
• Maintain a reasonable diet and sane sleep habits.
• Use of alcohol and other drugs wisely, be in control of it, not vice versa.
• Avoid the use of sleeping pills, tranquilizers, and other drugs to control stress.
• Protect your personal freedoms and space. Do what you want and feel, but respect the rights of others. Don't tell others what to do, but if they intrude, let them know.
• Find a time and place each day where you can have complete privacy. Take time off from others and pressures. Short time-outs during the day can help improve efficient functioning the rest of the day.
• Don't drift along in troublesome and stressful situations or relationships. Take action to change rather than trying to avoid the problem. Taking chances is the key to emotional well-being.
• Surround yourself with cues from positive thoughts and relaxation.
• Review your obligations from time to time and make sure they are still good for you. If they're not, let them go.
• Open yourself to new experiences. Try new things, new foods, new places.
• When worries start to build up, talk to someone.

Things to keep in mind
     One way to monitor and understand stress in your life is to record your feelings in a diary. Once you gain better awareness of the things that cause you stress, you can then build an action plan to positively manage it by creating some positive goals to help reduce the amount of stress in your daily life.

• Deep breathing : Focus on slowing your heart rate down by breathing in deeply and slowly, then exhaling slowly and completely. Repeat the inhale/exhale cycle at least five times.
  
• Quiet time : Find a place at home and at work where you can get away from everyone and take a few minutes for yourself. You can practice any relaxation technique or simply spend the time thinking through a problematic situation.
  
• Relaxation media : There is a variety of relaxation media on the market in the form of cassettes, CD’s, videos and even computer software.
  
• Visualization : The basic technique of visualization is to put yourself in a relaxed position, breathe deeply and rhythmically and close your eyes. Then, in detail, imagine in your mind’s eye a peaceful place or any surroundings that are pleasant and claming to you. While imagining this place, focus on breathing deeply and releasing tension from your entire body.
  
• Yoga : The word yoga comes from Sanskrit language meaning union and is believed to be at least 6000 years old, originating in India. By separating our "self" from the environment we are able to come to terms with our individual personality and start putting our mind and emotions in order.
  
• Meditation : Meditation is meant to bring about awareness, nothing else. It’s a time to connect to your inner “source” and let go of the issues, responsibilities and situations that bind your life. To get you started, here is an explanation of how to practice classic and simple meditation:
  
• The Mantra : A mantra is a sound, word, or phrase that is repeated to yourself out loud or silently. The purpose of the mantra is to discard your normal thoughts and focus your awareness inward. You can select anything as your mantra from a single word to religious scripture, anything that is meditative for you. For this exercise, we will use a natural mantra “hamsa,” being the natural sound one makes when breathing... “ham” (h-ah-m) on inhalation and “sa” (s-ah) on exhalation.
  
• The Hamsa Meditation : Sit comfortably back straight, shoulders relaxed with your arms by your side or resting in your lap. Select a quiet place if possible, but it’s not required. Close your eyes and breath naturally. Sit for a minute before you begin thinking the mantra to allow your heart and breathing to slow. Gently focus your attention on your breath and begin thinking the mantra, slowly and rhythmically, matching the mantra with your breath... (h-ah-m) on inhalation and (s-ah) on exhalation. Allow yourself to become absorbed in it. Let your thoughts and feelings come and go without concern. Don't try to control them in any way, simply note them. When you realize you’re not repeating the mantra, re-focus your attention on your breath and begin thinking the mantra again. Don’t try to force yourself to think the mantra to the exclusion of all other thoughts. Meditate for at least 10 minutes, preferably 20 minutes. When done, take about a minute to slowly return to normal awareness. (It’s okay to glance at a clock to time your meditation, however, I suggest you don't use any kind of alarm timer.) Gently open your eyes and slowly move to your feet. Be careful not to get up too quickly after meditating, you may experience some dizziness after a deep state of rest. You may or may not experience a deep state of relaxation and rest your first time meditating. As with many relaxation techniques, meditation takes practice to reap all the benefits. Don’t get discouraged, just stay with it.
  
• Exercise : Exercise is an excellent means of releasing tension from your body and inducing a relaxation response. You’ve been practicing this technique for many weeks now. Among the other benefits physical activity brings, have you experienced a reduction in stress?
  
• Stretching : Stress makes your muscles tense up and can cause headaches, a stiff neck, sore shoulders and a knotted back. Full body stretching will help your muscles relax and help you to breath deeper. Always remember to hold stretches for a minimum of ten seconds and concentrate on elongating the muscle slowly and rhythmically. Don’t bounce! When you don’t have the time to stretch your entire body, try these simple upper body-stretching exercises to release tension. They can be easily done in a chair anywhere; at home, at the office, traveling in a car, bus or on plane: Are chemicals the culprit? Surprisingly, much of the stress you experience daily could be due to what you are putting into your body in the form of chemicals. Be sure to eat a balanced, healthy diet to assure you’re giving your body the nutrients it needs to operate and maximum efficiency.