There are plenty of resources which teach you how to relieve stress and it is no suprise. There is so much stress in the world today. Generally people are so busy they have little time for anything.

We are victims of a world gone mad. Think about it. Most people never seem to have enough time to get more time for themselves. Money, success, careers and family are what drives us to keep going day in and day out and as a result we have become 'stressed out'; ticking time bombs ready to blow at any minute.

Disease, chronic illness, hypertension and even heart attacks are just some of the symptoms of stress. Half the time we don't even know the kind of stress we put ourselves through. We have built in mechanisms in our bodies that help us when we are confronted with stressful situations. We were not however supposed deal with stress all the time.

So how does one go about relieving the effects of stress on your body? Before we get to the 5 tips for effective stress relief there are two things you should be doing, if you are not already, on a daily basis to free yourself from stress.

The first thing is to get off adrenaline. One of the best tips on how to relieve stress is to plan better. Life happens and there are always going to be surprises you can't avoid but it doesn't have to be like this all of the time. A little planning can be the best thing you can do to keep your stress levels down. Remember it is your health and sanity on the line.

The second thing is to drink less caffeine and if you are a smoker to cut back, or better yet, quit smoking. Nicotine and caffeine can cause your body to deal with unnecessary stress. Do your best to cut back on these.

So let's now work through the 5 steps to a stree free mind and body.

1. Exercise regularly No matter what your definition of exercise is. It could be going for a run or even just a long walk or perhaps a good workout at the gym. What is critical is that you exercise on a regular basis and that you are relaxing when doing so. If you are not enjoying the exercise you are doing then there is really no point.

2. Relaxation and meditation I know it sounds easy to say just relax or chill out but most people don't know how to. There is no need to know how to meditate or anything like that, you should just be able to get some time by yourself without being disturbed.

3. Spoil yourself Treating yourself doesn't mean going out and buying a whole lot of stuff. It does mean doing something for yourself. What you could do is go to a spa and enjoy a relaxing massage or you could sit down to a good book and a little alone time.

4. Video and board games Games can be excellent stress relievers. Put some thought into who you invite to play with to make sure you avoid the game becoming to intense and stressful. There are some great free software games you can download off the internet that are great to help relieve stress

5. Get a good night's sleep Make sure you get enough rest. You can place tremendous stress on your body when sleeping patterns are interrupted. If you are constantly thinking you are not resting. It may sound impossible but you can stop yourself from reacting to the thoughts that cause you to stress.

You do not need to do all of the above right away but you should start with one, get in the habit of doing it regularly and then start the next one. Relaxing is what is important not what you do. There is no reason to wait any longer.