So, youve recognised that you are suffering from stress and you want to do something about it congratulations, you are now TWO steps ahead of most people and well on the road to recovery from dis-ease. These five easy steps will get you well on your way and give you some momentum to keep going as well as gearing your systems up for the challenge.

Step one Remove the cause of the stress. It might seem obvious, but if your accelerator is stuck on the floor, it doesnt only mean a lot of strain on the engine, it also means more wear on the clutch, gearbox and brakes, to name but a few. Once you sort out the accelerator, all this strain on other parts will go away by itself. Isolate the cause of your stress and remove it the sooner the better.

Step two Make sure you de-stress regularly. Physical exercise is the antidote to stress. As you burn physical energy, so you burn adrenaline, restoring balance and ease. Make sure you have a plan to physical exercise that is suited to both your fitness and your stress level.

Step three Recharge your batteries. We all know that taking a break (and by this I mean a real break, not just time away from whatever your work environment is whilst you continue to worry about it) does you good. Make sure that you take time off regularly to spend relaxing, with your family, by yourself or whatever it is you do to chill out. No engine runs 24/7 without LOTS of maintenance!

Step four Avoid patching over problems. Temporary repairs mean that you will only have to come back and do the main repair at a later date by which time it will have gotten substantially worse! Similarly, taking energy drinks, stimulants to keep you going and pharmaceutical drugs to hide the symptoms of dis-ease only mean that you keep on doing the same damage without fixing anything they are not a permanent solution and dont solve the problem only the effect (and temporarily at that).

Step five revise your servicing schedule. Make sure you get regular checks on all your critical systems even when you feel well. See a physician for diagnosis of dis-ease and a suitably qualified natural medicine practitioner for corrective treatment. (Medical doctors will happily give you symptom-busting drugs for ever without ever treating the root cause of the problem).

Step Six (ermdidnt we say FIVE steps to stress relief? Oh well, consider this one a bonus!) Take responsibility for your body and your wellness. Only one person used your body (hey, you know what we really mean ?). That person is the same one who MUST take responsibility for maintenance, fuel, lubrication and everything else the machinery needs. If you dont take care of it, you cant expect anyone else to and you only have yourself to blame for whatever goes wrong. Start fixing it NOW, and your machinery will thank you by running smoother, better, for longer, and, ultimately, with smaller bills and greater enjoyment you know it makes sense!

They may not be exhaustive, but these fivesix steps will form the basis of any stress-recovery program. Keep in mind the three principles that you need to achieve remove the cause and the effect will resolve itself (if your foots stuck on the gas, itll take longer to stop); make sure your fuel is appropriate and sufficient without overdoing it (diesel trucks dont run well on gasoline and a flooded engine doesnt start easily); keep a regular servicing schedule (even a perfectly running engine needs the oil filters changed regularly) with a professional who can be relied on to fix any problems, not just cover them up.

Of course, relieving yourself from stress takes time and effort sorry, but those are the rules of the universe deal with it! If you dont change the process, you can expect the same result, time after time after time.

This means that you are going to need to change your lifestyle, whether it be your diet, supplementation regime, exercise plan, health-care provider or all of the above. None of these should be attempted without proper expert advice preferably from someone professionally qualified and whose interest is the wellbeing of the machinery i.e. YOU, on a long-term basis and not just symptomatic relief. If you dont know what hurts, how do you know if it got worse or better?

Holistic, natural and alternative practitioners use therapies that are hundreds, if not thousands of years old and dont rely on last weeks chemistry lesson for the quick-fix (until next time)!

Make sure your medical provider is appropriately qualified and consult her / him before making any significant changes to your lifestyle then go ahead, change them and enjoy the increased energy, fitness and wellbeing you enjoy as a result. In no time at all, youll almost have forgotten what it felt like to be stressed for good.