Stress affects everybody. Status and age do not matter and there are no external standards to measure stress levels among individuals. A job viewed as naturally stressful does not automatically mean that someone working on it will experience stress, while a single child parent can experience as much stress as a parent with three kids. The level of stress among individuals is determined largely by the quality of the individual’s interpersonal relationships, physical and mental health, nature of responsibilities and number of commitments. Expectations of others can likewise affect the levels of stress that he or she may experience.

Some people are more susceptible to stress than others. Social support groups play an important role in reducing stress. Thus, people without ample social support systems are more likely to be stressed than those who have. Some stressors are often related to life stages and age groups. Thus, working parents, seniors, teens and children are particularly vulnerable to these stressors.

There are many stress management techniques. Some of them are meditation, exercise, relaxation, counseling, education and information, conflict management and time management. The effectiveness of these techniques, and for that matter of stress management programs, has been the subject of researches and there are indications that they actually work.

• Of the techniques developed by experts, Time management is possibly the most effective although perhaps the most difficult to implement given that it involves identification and realignment of priorities. Basically one has to achieve a balance between time spent on family, work and the social aspects of life. It reduces work related pressures that allow us to devote more attention to family and social life.

• Meditation is another good technique. It develops in us inner peace by enabling our minds to focus on the positives of life. With this technique, because of deeper insights on life, most things may appear natural to us. It makes us more tolerant of others which help in dealing with potential stressors.

• Most work on a 9 to 5 schedule, even without counting overtime, this means that people spend a great amount of their times at offices. Office tension, personal friction and excessive workloads are sources of stress that affect performance and relationships. Eventually the family will have its share when the after effects of stress are brought home. Conflict Management reduces the stress we get from the workplace when implemented properly.

• A good physical conditioning provides a feeling of well being and helps us think clearly. This helps us put things at their proper perspective which gives us natural resistance to stress. Regular exercise is another good stress management technique. Inactivity for long periods of time affects our physical as well as mental health. Our muscles and joints get creaky without doing regular stretching and fats and other harmful toxins hamper the circulation of blood resulting to heart problems and poor mental health.

• Some people recognize problems only when brought to their attention. This indicates the need for a good stress management program like Counseling. This technique is perhaps the most effective preventive measure of all because we have an impartial person to help the person identify and overcome stress before it becomes a full blown mental problem.