What are the most efficient ways of treating stress?

Exercise, avoiding people who upset you in your personal life, spending time with pets, spending time with friends who you enjoy. Warm baths, massages. I enjoy watching favorite movies and comedies and TV that's funny. Laughter is a great stress reliever. I went through a really bad time with panic attacks and shopping helped de-stress me. Even if I didn't buy but one thing or even nothing it all, it helped me to get out and walk around a store. Pamper yourself and avoid all the stressors you can outside of work.

(You are right, in the long run, you have to get rid of the stress-causing factors, but sometimes it's just not possible. So you have to at least make them less stressing. For example, a job is just a job, even if you have to work like crazy, take at least an evening every week for yourself. Do whatever you feel like doing: nice warm bath, go see a movie, take a good drink, whatever, as long as it is not work related, or related to anything that stresses you.)

To help you deal with stress: be sure to eat and sleep well. Eat healthy food and in enough quantity, you need all the energy (it is not the time to take a diet), but don't eat fast food even if it is easier. If you have a hard time sleeping, take a nice herbal tea (camomille for example) before going to bed. Change your mind before sleeping, don't go to bed with all the stress, it will prevent you from a good resting sleep, and again you need all the energy.

Take 5 minutes 2 or 3 times a day just to breathe in and relax. Valerian (you can find this in extracts or herbal tea) is a natural relaxing herb that is very efficient and will not make you sleep. Lavender is also a relaxing herb, you can put some on your temples or just smell it, or put some in your bath.

Long term, you might want to learn yoga or other meditation methods: you usually learn some 5 minutes routines to calm you down and give you back some energy.

Hope that helps and good luck.

Plan ahead for things you know will cause stress (holidays especially since those are coming up. do some cooking, shopping, decorating, or whatever it is you like to do for those in advance) Take some time everyday for YOU and do things you like to do, whether it is reading a book, listening to music, taking a walk, watching a favorite TV show, etc. Take a hot shower/bath, get rest, eat good solid meals (especially breakfast). Keep medication to a minimum (it can increase blood pressure, heart beat, etc. and is bad on your liver anyway) and no energy drinks. Vitamin B tablets are a good source of extra energy and could help you maybe get through your stressful day a little easier, and get a lot of vitamin C so you don't get sick. Pilates are also wonderful stress relievers.

When I was going through a stressful time in my life, I turned to marijuana.

It relieved the stress, and made me feel better.

I don't know if this is an option for you, but it would help.

Exercise

1/Meditation

2/Shavaasan from yoga.

3/Any soothing music.

4/Indian instrumental music to relieve stress.

5/Reading jokes.