Today, as you many know is National Stress Awareness Day. In fact it is the 16th time it has been run.

Stress is all around us. Indeed my wife just called to tell me since she woke at 5.30 she has had the most stressful day for at least three years. She did have the decency to laugh when I told her it was National Stress Awareness Day. You can find out more about the signs of stress here.

One of the big issues with stress is that it is easy to tell us we are stressed. That comes ten a’penny. But more importantly we need advice about how to actually deal with stress in the long as opposed to short term.

So I was delighted to find out that the International Stress Management Association had produces some really useful information for National Stress Awareness Day. There is a lot of useful stuff on their site which you can access here.

The one which impressed me was entitled “7 Positives For A Better Life” and I thought it would be useful to share them with you as they in fact are of some use!

1) Get rid of negative thoughts and fill your mind with positive ones. Don’t dwell on failure major in your achievements.
2) Put yourself first once a day. Have some me time!
3) Don’t repeat past mistakes or even old habits. Do something new.
4) Take the tough decisions and take them today. Sell your house or buy a new car!
5) Say yes not no. Erm that’s it.
6) Learn to communicate better. If you have a problem , say with the bank or your boss, talk to them about it! Learn to communicate better.
7) Consider your options. You might have more than one choice.

So over to you. What are your tips for a more positive life?

Please feel free to share in the comments section below.

Thanks very much in advance.