When talking about stress, stress management experts willalways emphasize that the focus should be on making stress work for you, ratherthan eliminating stress. Without a doubt, it is impossible to live a stressfree life in our times, when the needs of money and material wants and needsdrives us to study hard and work harder. It is also perhaps a little known factthat stress need not always be bad.

Stress refers to our reaction from the conflict between ourexternal environment and us, leading to emotional and physical pressure. Thekey is in learning to distinguish when the levels of stress are too high, andhow to take steps to reduce the level of stress so that it remains optimal foryou. Here are 3 tips to help your relieve stress for free!

Tip #1: Always set Goals

At the start of each day, week or month, it is crucial thatyou set yourself goals. These goals should be SMART, meaning that they have tobe Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. Remember thatyour goals should always be realistic, and by pursuing the goals that you haveset out you will be able to achieve more than you thought you were capable ofin the time span you have set yourself. It is no point to set goals that areoverly ambitious, as the end result may be undesirable, with you unable to meetyour goals and hence feeling stressed out and experiencing a lower sense ofself confidence.

Tip #2: Improve your Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence here is taken in the context ofmanaging your emotions, especially in relation to stressful situations. This isusually measured by an indicator known as the Emotional Quotient, or EQ. Mostoften, your emotional reactions may be more extreme than called for, and thisis due to your perception of threat to your emotional wellbeing. It isimportant that you do not adopt extremist views with regards to any situation,though it definitely does not mean that you should not have an opinion.Remember that there is no strict black or white, and that our opinions shouldalways be flexible along the gradient of gray.

Tip #3: Time Management

With proper time management, you will find that 24 hours aday is more than sufficient for you to complete everything that you want orneed to, including rest. Before you go to sleep each night, review what youhave done for the day, and what you are planning to do the next day. Follow aset of priorities, or draw up a daily to do list, complete with a realisticamount of time allocated to each task. However, there is no need to be overlyrigid to the timetable as certain tasks may require more time due to greatercomplexity than accounted for.