The truth is that stress seems be touching all levels of society. CEOs feel the pressure, as do parents, clergy, secretaries, lawyers, politicians, parking lot attendants and practically everyone else.

Chronic stress and the accompanying exhaustion seem to be the way of life for most people. It is not necessary to live life feeling as though you are shell-shocked. Often, just a few lifestyle adjustments go a long way towards reducing stress while boosting energy.

Here are 15 ways to de-stress life:

* Don’t pathologise life. Psychologist Charlotte Davis Kasl, author of Finding Joy, says, ‘‘Life is often messy, uncertain and unpredictable. Sometimes it’s a string of troubles that seem to never end. That’s normal.

‘‘Ups and downs are normal. Being ill on occasion is normal. Feeling peaceful and happy is normal. Occasional low-energy days are normal’’.

Chinese medical practitioners accept as natural the idea that we fluctuate from being in balance to being out of balance, Davis Kasl notes, adding ‘‘Peace of mind comes from not attaching a great deal of significance to either state. We simply note our moods and physical states and gently move toward balance as best we can, accepting it as part of the flow of life.’’

* Avoid bringing work home on the weekend. An astounding three out of four persons who work in a large office (defined as 100 persons or more) work on the weekend, according to the Steelcase Workplace Index, a semi-annual survey of work place trends in the USA. Plan to be a little more efficient on your Fridays so that you can leave work without a briefcase.

* Try some B &B. ‘‘Relief for me is spelled ‘B&B — books and bubbles,’’ says Lunn Sullivan from Clifton, New Jersey. ‘‘When my job, family, and lifestyle in general result in headache, backache, short temper, and long nights when sleep isn’t restful, I escape to my own special world. I fill my tub with bath beads, bubble bath, and lots of hot water. The bath performs its miracle of body relaxation, and the book does the same for my mind."

* Practice unattachment.
‘‘Unattachment is the release of need or expectation associated with a specific outcome,’’ notes Cherie Carter-Scott, in her book If Life Is A Game, These Are the Rules. ‘‘We become attached to the way we envision something working out, and struggle to make circumstances bend to our desires. Life, however, often has its own agenda, and we are destined to suffer unless we give up our attachment to things working out exactly as we would like.’’

A parent can practice unattachment by letting go of tightly focused wishes for their children. Likewise, spouses can practice unattachment by being more flexible and tolerant of personality differences between themselves.

* Don’t contaminate the good times. Telling yourself, ‘I really shouldn’t be doing this’ as you relax at your favourite bookstore with an iced tea and a recently published book doesn’t do you any good. Enjoy the moment . Relish the time. Remind yourself that this brief respite will make you more effective later.

* Deal with your past to have peace in the present. A great deal of current stress is the result of past baggage that we lug around. Deal with it.

‘‘It is so much easier to walk away from a hurtful past than to confront the issues,’’ notes Stephen Arterburn, author of The Power Book. ‘‘But we cannot remove the past from our hearts — it is there to stay. And the only hope for true peace with the past is to face it at its worst, to seek to forgive, to be forgiven, to make amends and to be reconciled’’.

* Just say No. Don’t get caught in the trap of constantly trying to please others and win approval from everyone. Much of our stress is the result of trying to do it all and be everything to everyone. Some effective ways to say ‘‘no’’ include a simple statement of fact: ‘‘I can’t take that on right now because I’m over-extended’’. Or, offer a compromise — ‘‘Sure, I can make cookies for the bake sale but I can’t help at the sale itself.’’

* Engage yourself in good, noble, creative activities. At one time or another, life brings everyone some problems and pains, suffering and severities. These are all stressful, yet even that stress can be minimised greatly be moving forward and continuing to develop in spite of the hardships.

Although Henri Matisse was nearly 28 years younger than Auguste Renoir, the two great artists were dear friends and frequent companions. When Renoir was confined to home during the last decade of his life, Matisse visited him daily. Renoir, almost paralysed by arthritis, continued to paint in spite of his infirmities.

One day as Matisse watched his dear friend working in his studio, fighting torturous pain with each brush stroke, he asked: ‘‘Auguste, why do you continue to paint when you are in such agony’’? Renoir answered simply: ‘‘The beauty remains; the pain passes’’.

* Create some quiet-time. Do this even if it means getting up a few minutes earlier or staying up a few minutes later.

‘‘You need at least 15 minutes a day to yourself’’, says Stephan Rechtschaffen, MD, president of the Omega Institute of Holistic Studies in Rhinesback, New York and author of Time Shifting.

* Stretch stress away. ‘‘If you’re feeling very uptight during the course of a work day, stretching can help relieve that tightness,’’ notes Nancy Ford Norton, president of N2 Qualitative in Allendale, New Jersey.

‘‘People are staying planted in front of their computers and they’re not taking the breaks they need to get their bodies moving. This causes fatigue so that we’re not working or thinking at peak capacity. Stretching can be a quick, de-stressing activity that can be done throughout the day’’.

* Plan time for yourself. If you are in a constant state of motion and interaction with others, sooner or later you will feel incredible stress. ‘‘Whether it’s listening to music, working in your garden, or taking a hot bubble bath, do whatever gives you an inner sense of calm. If you don’t know how to relax, you won’t ever get to a destressed state,’’ advises Nancy Ford Norton.

* Share concerns. Don’t go at it alone. Don’t keep you fears and hopes, anxieties and anticipations to yourself. Open up to a trusted friend or family member. Talk about your work project with a colleague; share your worry with your spouse; verbalize your frustration with a good friend. Talking things over always helps put issues into perspective and you won’t feel so alone with the problem.

* Write it out. If you are hesitant to burden a family member or family with your problem, put the matter down on paper. When under considerable stress, give yourself 15 to 20 minutes of writing time over three or four days. Without worrying about spelling, style or grammar, just write and get it all off your chest.

* Size down your activities. Here’s a simple example: Entertain just one or two couples for dinner. Remind yourself that you don’t have to host a huge party in order to have satisfying social interactions. Instead of planning a major event, consider a smaller, more casual meal with a few people whose company you truly enjoy.

* Avoid the quick fix. Stress psychologist Robert Epstein says, ‘‘Smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, binging on food — these are sure-fire stress failures. They may give the impression they are relieving tension, but they will not work over time and sooner or later you will be right back where you started’’Dr Epstein also advises those who feel stressed to avoid drinks which contain caffeine and high-fat food.

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