Stress is how you respond to the demands of your life, and life today often seems like it is filled with stress—work demands, family demands, finding time for yourself—how to do it all? If you can understand and recognize the sources of stress in your life, you can figure out the best ways to manage them to help keep your mind, body, and spirit intact.

For starters, remember that stresses can be external or internal.

External stress comes from many sources including:

• Family. Family life changes (marriage, moving) or a fight with your parent, child, or spouse.
• Work. A heavy workload or difficult boss can stress you out.
• Environment. If you live or work in an unpleasant or unsafe area.
• Social. A blind date or giving a speech can be stressful events for most people.
• Unpredictable events. Losing your job, facing a rent increase.

In addition, many people suffer from stress caused by internal factors, including feelings of fear, uncertainty, negativity, and unrealistic expectations.

Mild stress can motivate you to finish a project or fix a relationship, but a buildup of small, mild stresses can have an adverse effect on your health by causing physical symptoms (such as headaches and fatigue), mental symptoms (such as an inability to concentrate) and emotional symptoms (such as irritability and depression).

Take action to fight stress by using healthy relaxation techniques (meditation or yoga) or planning time for yourself to exercise, read, or take a vacation. Recognize and avoid unhealthy ways to deal with stress such as excessive alcohol consumption, overeating, or smoking.

Positive thinking is not just a way to help manage stress; it can improve your quality of life, and even your health. Studies have shown that positive thinking can improve your ability to cope with problems and handle stressful situations, improve your breathing if you have lung disease, and even make you more resistant to the common cold.

That said, it’s not always easy to think positive and see the glass half-full, but you can work on your attitude. Every day, a stream of thoughts and ideas runs through your head. Try these tips to help turn more of your self-talk positive rather than negative:

• Be kind to yourself. Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to someone else.
• Stop and think. During the day, evaluate what you are thinking about and learn to recognize when negative and irrational thoughts have gotten in the way of reasonable thoughts.

Some common examples of negative thinking:

• Polarizing. Some people see the world as black and white and believe that they have to be perfect or they have failed.
• Blaming yourself. If you assume that other people’s plans and responses are based on personal problems with you, rather than on outside influences that have nothing to do with you.
• Expecting the worst. If you think that one bad experience means that every other similar experience will be a disaster, or that any change in your routine will be catastrophic.
• Ignoring the good and fixating on the bad. If you had a great day at work and received compliments on a project, but then you were late to a meeting, you focus on your tardiness on one occasion rather than the compliments on the quality of your work over time.

Want to relieve workplace stress? Step away from your desk. Standing up and walking around periodically throughout the day can reduce feelings of stress and alleviate the physical stress of tight muscles that occurs with extended time spent sitting at a desk.

In addition, try these simple stretches during the day:

• Interlace your fingers and extend your arms out in front of you at shoulder height. Reverse your hands so that your palms are facing outward. You should feel a stretch in your shoulders, the middle part of your upper back, and your arms, hands, wrists, and fingers (all the muscles that get stiff after extended desk work). Hold an easy stretch as you count to 15, then relax and repeat.
• Next, interlace your fingers and reach above your head, with your arms extended and turn your hands so your palms are facing the ceiling. Bring your arms back towards your ears as you simultaneously reach upward through your palms. You will feel this stretch in your arms, shoulders, and upper back. Hold an easy stretch as you count to 15, then relax and repeat. Be sure not to hold your breath.
• For your neck: While sitting or standing, slowly tilt your head to the right. Continue to look straight ahead and don’t twist your neck; allow your right ear to drop towards your right shoulder. Don’t force the movement; let gravity do the work. Hold for a count of 10. Repeat on the other side. Repeat 2-3 times on each side periodically during the day.

Even if you are not religious in the traditional sense, recognizing your spirituality can help give your life context and relieve stress. Although spirituality means different things to everyone, it is a combination of your connection to yourself and others, your personal values, and views of what gives life meaning. Some people find a sense of spirituality in a religious community, while others find it in nature, art, music, or a non-religious community of shared interests.

Recognizing your spirituality helps you connect with the world, identify and focus on your goals, expand and deepen your relationships, and lead a healthier life. To help you define (or refine) your spirituality, ask yourself some of these questions:

• What makes you happy?
• What gives you comfort?
• What are your most important relationships?
• What are the three most memorable moments in your life?
• What do you think will happen when your physical life ends, and how does that make you feel?
• How have you coped with loss?
• Think of a time when you were comfortable and all was right with the world and what was responsible for that feeling?
• Think of a time when you felt a sense of meaning and awe, and what was responsible for that feeling?

Your answers to these and similar questions can help you identify what matters most to you and help you focus on the people, activities, and goals that enrich your life and contribute to your personal growth.

Don’t be intimidated by the idea of meditation. It’s not just for yoga gurus who can twist themselves into pretzel shapes with ease. Meditation is an ages-old technique for getting in touch with your spirituality, and many people today use it as a way to relieve stress, too. In addition, meditation may be helpful in improving your quality of life if you have chronic medical conditions such as asthma, arthritis, chronic pain, cancer, or heart disease.

Another benefit of meditation is that you can do it anywhere, anytime, and no special equipment is needed. There are many ways to meditate, so try several forms of meditation to find what brings you a feeling of inner peace and strength and make it part of your life.

Here are a few meditation methods:

Breathe deeply. Focus your attention on your breathing as you inhale and exhale deeply through your nose.

Scan your body. Focus on different areas of your body and note the places that are painful, tense, or relaxed. Send relaxing thoughts to the tense areas.

Repeat a mantra. A mantra is a sacred name or phrase. Mantras serve as the basis for meditation in most religions, but you can create your own phrase, too, such as “I am a strong, healthy person.”

Say a prayer. If you follow an organized religion, written or spoken prayers are a form of meditation. Use your own words or prayers written by others.

Read and reflect. Many people find that reading a poem or sacred text and then taking a few moments to reflect on what the words mean is a form of meditation. You may want to write your reflections in a journal.

When you practice yoga, whether you do it at home or in a class, be sure to remain mindful and don’t let your poses get stale. As you hold a yoga pose, your mind may start to wander and you can lose your focus, and then you are no longer actively involved in the pose. To regain your awareness and make sure that you are engaging your muscles, find a way to work deeper into the pose by bending a little farther or twist a little more with each breath.

To stay active in any yoga pose, breathe deeply and evenly, and engage your core muscles in your torso. Think about pulling your navel in towards the back of your spine. But never hold yoga poses to the point of pain. Ideally, you can hold a yoga position at least until you count to five, and some teachers will instruct you to hold a pose for longer than that. But yoga is a personal activity, and if you feel discomfort during a pose, back off and wait for the class to move on to the next yoga position, or ask the yoga teacher to show you an alternative pose. Over-stretching to the point of pain will only result in an injury, so challenge yourself, but know your limits.

Although it sounds counterintuitive, don’t clench your jaw while holding a pose. Relax your face, and remember to breathe deeply and evenly.

To some extent a “relaxation technique” includes anything that helps you relieve stress in your daily life. Yoga, tTai Chi, meditation, aerobic exercise, and even taking a bath qualify as relaxation techniques. But on another level, the process of relaxation will help reduce the wear and tear on your mind, body, and spirit.

You can learn relaxation techniques from a health professional, but you can learn on your own, too. In simple terms, a relaxation technique is anything that increases your awareness of your body and refocuses your mind to something calm. Three basic relaxation techniques that you can try at home are as follows:

Visualization. Close your eyes, sit in a quiet place, and use as many senses as you can to image a journey to a peaceful place, such as a quiet beach along the ocean, and think about the smell of the salt air and the sound of the waves.

Progressive muscle relaxation. For this technique, focus on slowly tensing and relaxing each major muscle group. Start with your shoulders, then progress to your arms and hands, then your chest, hips, legs, and feet. Or start with your toes and move up. Squeeze the muscles in each area for 5 seconds, then relax for 30 seconds and move to the next group. This technique helps you recognize the difference between tension and relaxation, which can help you recognize when you are tense and need to relax.

Autogenic relaxation. This technique combines visualization and muscle relaxation. To practice autogenic relaxation, repeat words or suggestions in your mind while focusing on relaxing your muscles. Try thinking about sending a relaxed, calming breath to the tight spots, and allowing those tight muscles to let go and relax.

Relaxation techniques are skills that take practice, so don’t get discouraged if you have a hard time using them to relieve stress. But once you become more aware of feelings muscle tension and relaxation, it will become easier.

Finding and maintaining a healthy balance between your professional life and your personal life is a challenge. The nature of the balance is personal; it’s different for everyone, but it is important for you to find what works for you in order to enjoy a rewarding career and fulfilling personal life.

Keep these tips in mind as you seek your own work/life balance:

• Value your time off. Try to schedule routine chores and appointments for workdays so that your time away from work is more relaxing.
• Make time for yourself. Everyone needs to rejuvenate, so make time for whatever it is that recharges your batteries, whether it is taking a bath, walking the dog, going to the gym, or reading a book.
• Get organized. Manage your time so you can accomplish household chores, family activities, and work projects effectively. Keep a master calendar with important appointments, deadlines, and activities. Schedule appointments and errands that can be done in batches, rather than making multiple trips.
• Don’t feel guilty about juggling work and family. It is OK for both men and women to work and have families. Don’t feel guilty, but do maintain a support system of a close friend or two or a family member whom you can call to talk to when you’re stressed or who can help if you have to put in extra hours or travel for your job.
• Give yourself a break. Remember that leaving a few dirty dishes in the sink for a little while won’t send the quality of your life into a downward spiral. Deal with the pressing problems or important family issues first.

Why are so many of us chronically tired? In most cases, lifestyle habits or routines are causing your fatigue. If you can identify the causes, making some simple lifestyle changes can re-energize your life. Common causes of fatigue include stress, poor sleep, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and certain medications or medical treatments.

To fight fatigue, try these tactics:

Get sleep. This is often easier said than done, especially if you are older. Older age often coincides with an inability to sleep soundly and earlier wakening from sleep. Keeping your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet, and avoiding long afternoon naps and late-night meals can help you sleep better at night. If you still toss and turn, leave the bedroom and read quietly or relax in another room until you feel sleepy, and then go back to bed.

Avoid alcohol. Alcohol can promote feelings of fatigue, but don’t use alcohol as a sleep aid. In fact, drinking just before bed may disrupt your sleep and make you more tired the next day.

Eat breakfast. A low-fat, high-fiber breakfast will stick with you and jump-start your energy for the day. Avoid sugary cereals or snacks; they can make you feel sluggish later in the day. And be sure to eat throughout the day. Extreme low calorie diets will cause feelings of fatigue.

Get active. Although any single tough workout can wear you out, regular exercise (aim for at least 30 minutes each day) will promote fitness and stamina and ultimately leave you feeling energized.

If you think you are getting enough rest but you still experience sudden fatigue or tiredness that persists, see your doctor for a checkup to rule out any underlying medical problems as a cause of your fatigue.