Nearly half a million of us in the UK believe that we are experiencing work-related stress to the extent that it has made us physically ill.

Back in 2007, over 13% of the working population thought that their job was very or extremely stressful. And this was before the recession kicked in…

Chair of the International Stress Management Association, Ann McCracken, says: “Stress is a very important issue and, at this point in time, individuals are facing more pressures at work with an increased threat of redundancies.”

Clearly stress at work is a huge issue affecting many people and, with today being National Stress Awareness Day, here are our top five tips for managing your stress levels and start living:

Learn to relax

Do you always take a break at work? You’re entitled to a twenty minute break if you’ve worked over six hours so make sure that you take it. And if you’re spending it at your desk, it’s not going to help you relax. Go for a walk, get some fresh air and use the time to give your mind a break.

Manage your email

Are you checking your inbox every five minutes, with more and more work piling up each time? Every time you check it, you lose focus on your current project and it can quickly become a time-sapper. Try to limit your inbox time to every hour or even less. Tim Ferris explains how adopting a policy of checking just twice a day can be both productive and actively encouraged by management.

Adopt a healthy lifestyle

Exercise is a brilliant natural stress buster. It helps to take your mind off of your problems and the endorphins released will improve your mood. Start eating healthier too and not only will you feel better about yourself, but it should help you to get better sleep too.

Look for a new perspective

Open up to your friends and colleagues about your problems – often, talking things through will help you to keep your worries in proportion. Friends will also help you to relax and take your mind off of things.

Don’t rely on alcohol

Whilst it may seem like a good short-term solution, drinking to cope with stress will only make things worse in the long-run – alcohol is a depressant. Coffee and cigarettes will be negative long-term too – the stimulants they offer will only make your stress worse.