☛ Make time for music, art or other hobbies that help relax and distract you.

☛ Learn to identify and monitor stressors. Come up with an organized plan for handling stressful situations. Be careful not to overgeneralize negative reactions to things.

☛ Make a list of the important things you need to handle each day. Try to follow the list so you feel organized and on top of things. Put together a coping plan step by step so you have a sense of mastery.

☛ Keep an eye on things that might suggest you're not coping well. For example, are you smoking or drinking more, or sleeping less?

☛ Keep a list of the large and little hassles in your day versus the major stressful events in your life. This helps you focus on the fact that you're keeping track of and managing those as well as you can.

☛ Set aside a time every day to work on relaxation.

☛ Avoid using caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, junk food, binge eating and other drugs as your primary means for coping with stress. While they can be helpful once in awhile, using them as your only or usual method will result in longer-term problems, such as weight problems or alcoholism.