The ten top ways to beat stress

We're feeling the strain more than ever, new research shows. But don't worry, says Jeremy Laurance; here are some simple ways to stay calm

Half the British population feels more stressed today than they did five years ago, according to a survey commissioned by the Samaritans. More than one-tenth of people say they have felt suicidal - twice the proportion in 2002. But there are ways to reduce your levels of stress - and to improve the quality of your working life. Here are 10 tips.

1. UNDERSTAND WHAT STRESS IS

Stress is defined as what happens when the demands made on a person exceed that person's ability to cope. The word is derived from the Latin stringere - "to draw tight". Some stress is good - it keeps us on our toes and driving onwards. Its origin lies in the "fight or flight" response that evolved in our ancestors and was essential for survival in prehistoric times.

Today, the same fight or flight response - triggering the release of the stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol and marked by a pounding heart or sweaty brow - cannot be discharged by running or fighting as our ancestors did. It has physical and emotional effects, increasing blood pressure and putting a strain on the heart, until we face overload.

We do not want to eliminate stress, but we need to manage it so that it doesn't dominate our lives.

2. GET YOUR COMPANY ON THE CASE

Long hours and a macho culture are among the chief causes of workplace stress. The Health and Safety Executive launched a tough new code to reduce stress at work in December 2004. The code sets six standards, including increasing support and giving staff more control. Employers who ignore the standards are at risk of legal action.

Alan Barber, a former head of maths at East Bridgewater secondary school in Somerset, was awarded £70,000 after leaving with a stress-related illness. The case, which went to the House of Lords, established that an "autocratic and bullying style of leadership" that is "unsympathetic" to complaints of occupational stress is a factor that courts can take into account in deciding claims.

A survey by the mental health charity Mind found that the most stressed workers were teachers, social workers, call-centre workers, prison officers and the police. Public-sector workers suffered more stress than those in the private sector.

3. THE BEST CURES ARE FREE

The single most popular response to stress is to have a drink. This was mentioned by one respondent in three in the Samaritans survey, up from one in four in 2003. Similar proportions say that they watch television or listen to music.

While these may be pleasurable and relaxing at the end of the day, they are not the most effective remedies for stress. "Going for a short walk, doing stretching or breathing exercises, or just getting away from your desk would have a greater impact," says Neil Shah, the director of the Stress Management Society. Exercise also produces endorphins, the body's natural opiates, which boost mood.

Other measures include changing your attitudes, such as learning to accept what you cannot change, managing your time and agreeing with people some of the time. There are no pills or potions or magic cures for stress - notwithstanding the claims of some companies that sell them.

4. LIVE ABROAD - OR MOVE UP NORTH

Many people dream of moving abroad to a stress-free life sitting around the pool sipping cocktails as the sun goes down. But what about working abroad?

A survey by Ipsos, the polling organisation, conducted in nine countries and published in December, found that Germany topped the stress league, while Mexico was the least-stressed nation. Britons were the most likely to claim their life was beyond their control, although they reported less stress overall than the Germans.

The Happy Planet Index, published last year, named the island of Vanuatu in the Pacific as the happiest nation on earth. Latin American countries ranked highest in the happiness league.

If you must stay at home, consider heading north. The pace of life in the capital causes the highest levels of stress, with the North-east a haven of calm by comparison, according to the Samaritans survey.

5. LOBBY THE GOVERNMENT FOR MORE HELP

Almost 13 million days a year are taken off sick from work as a result of stress, according to the charity Mind. Stress costs the economy almost £1 for every £10 generated.

Stress leads to anxiety, depression and mental distress. Mental illness is now Britain's biggest social problem, worse than unemployment and as important as poverty, according to Lord Layard, the Labour peer.

Three in 10 people take sick leave with mental distress in any one year, yet fewer than one in 10 receives any kind of treatment, such as psychological counselling, according to the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. GPs are forced to fall back on antidepressants, which the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has warned are being over-prescribed.

Lord Layard has lobbied the Government to make the prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression a priority. Treatment is of proven effectiveness, with a gain of £3,000 in productivity for every £1,000 spent, he says.

6. GO OUT TO WORK

Women suffer more from stress than men. In the Samaritans survey, more than half of women said they felt stressed more than once a month. Worst affected were mothers at home with their children and other women without formal employment. Having a workplace to go to, and colleagues for company, may relieve stress as well as cause it. For many people, a life without work is a life without meaning.

At work, those who climb the career ladder are less stressed than those who remain at the bottom. It may seem counterintuitive that as workers gain responsibility they become more relaxed, but research shows that those with more control over their lives tend to outlive their put-upon colleagues. But beware the long-hours culture; maintaining a work-life balance is crucial to emotional health.

7. AVOID JOINING SUCCESSFUL ORGANISATIONS

This may sound odd, but the adage that success breeds success is undermined by research showing that working for an expanding organisation is more likely to make you ill.

Change is stressful, and organisations that are growing rapidly impose greater demands on the workforce than those where there is less change and more stability, even when the change is positive and increases job security.

A study of 24,000 employees in Sweden found that those who worked in organisations with the highest rates of growth had the highest levels of sickness. The National Institute for Psychosocial Medicine in Stockholm, which carried out the study, said it revealed the "ruthless nature" of modern workplaces where employers care more about their bottom lines than the welfare of their workforces.

8. TURN OFF YOUR MOBILE AND TAKE A NAP

Almost one-quarter of the working day is lost to interruptions from e-mails, phone calls and text messages, American research suggests. While sociability is good for health, too much of it can lead to work piling up, adding to stress about getting too little done.

A failure to switch off from work is driving up stress levels. The problem is exacerbated by omnipresent electronic gadgets such as mobiles and BlackBerrys, which mean that the office is never closed.

Getting a break during the day also helps. Daytime naps can boost memory and increase productivity, provided they are not too lengthy so that you wake groggy rather than refreshed. In New York, a company called MetroNaps sells 20-minute snoozes in a pod for less than a tenner.

9. GROW OLDER

One of the puzzles about stress is that those carrying the least responsibility - teenagers - suffer worst. The Samaritans survey of 2,000 people, conducted over the internet in December, found that pressure had increased most on the young, with 70 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds saying they felt more stressed than they did five years ago.

Almost one in six said the pressures had driven them to contemplate taking their own life, and almost one-third said they had no one to turn to - the highest proportion saying this in any age group. Those aged 35-44 said they felt most stressed - a reflection of the pressure of coping with work and young children.

By the age of 65, however, people report less stress. In part, that reflects diminishing pressure from work and family, and more time for people to call their own. Age also brings acceptance, greater contentment with what you have and less striving for what you don't.

10. TALK TO SOMEONE

Bonding with colleagues is one of the most effective antidotes to stress in the workplace. Chatting over the photocopier, going out for lunch and sharing troubles is the best form of therapy.

Yet fewer people are doing it. Professor Cary Cooper of Lancaster University, an expert on workplace stress, said this was the most worrying finding of the Samaritans survey.

"Too many people are turning to the most inappropriate ways to deal with whatever is stressing them - and that's if they're making any attempt to deal with it at all. Turning to drink is the worst response.

"It's alarming that only 22 per cent of people said they'd go to a friend or a relative for a chat, while as many as 15 per cent said they'd stick themselves away in their room alone, and even more [19 per cent] said they'd go off for a walk or a drive," Professor Cooper says. "People need to talk about the stress and anxieties they have, not hide them."