As we’ve said before, stress is a part of life.  There’s no getting away from it.  In fact, some stress is good stress.  You may not believe that, but sometimes stress can motivate us to do things we may not normally do in a relaxed state.  Stress can make us brave enough to go forward when normally we might hesitate.We have to be resilient in order to effectively cope with stress and help it enhance our life instead of control it.  How do you get strong and resilient?  By learning how to take control of your stress and make it work FOR you instead of AGAINST you.Recognizing stress symptoms can be a positive influence in that we’re compelled to take action – and the sooner the better. It’s not always easy to discern why you have the stress in each situation but some of the more common events that trigger those emotions are the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, a job promotion, or a new relationship.  We experience stress as we readjust our lives. Your body is asking for your help when you feel these stress symptoms.We’re going to give you many suggestions in this chapter.  Not all of them will work for you, but we’re willing to bet that some of them will.There are three major approaches to manage stress. The first is the action-oriented approach. In this method, the problems that cause stress are identified and necessary changes are made for a stress free life. The next approach is emotionally oriented and in it, the person overcomes stress by giving a different color to the experience that caused stress. The situation, which causes stress, is seen humorously or from a different angle. I especially advocate this approach to stress management.  Sometimes if you don’t laugh at a situation, you’ll cry – uncontrollably.  That’s no solution.  So learn to see the humor instead of the doom.The third way is acceptance-oriented approach. This approach focuses on surviving the stress caused due to some problem in the past.The first stress management tip is to understand the root cause of your stress. No one understands your problem better than you do. A few minutes spend to recognize your true feelings can completely change the situation. During this process, identify what triggered the stress. If someone close to your heart is nearby share it with the person. If you are overstressed and feel you are going to collapse, take a deep breath and count till ten. This pumps extra oxygen into your system and rejuvenates the entire body.When under severe stress meditate for a moment and pull out of the current situation for a little while. Stand up from your current position and walk. Stretch yourself. Soon you will find that the stress has lessened. This is because you have relaxed now and relaxation is the best medicine for stress. Smiling is yet another way of stress management. If you are at the work place, just stand up and smile at your colleague in the far corner. You will see a change in your mood. Learn some simple yoga or mediation techniques.You can also invent your own stress management tips. The basic idea is to identify the cause of stress and to pull out from it for a moment and then deal with it. Taking a short walk and looking at objects in nature is another stress reliever. Drinking a glass of water or playing small games are simple stress management techniques. The whole idea is change the focus of attention and when you return to the problem, it does not look as monstrous as you felt before.