Long before we ever need to call on professional help for stress or trauma, there is much that we can do ourselves to minimise the impact of the pressures that we face. But recognising the need for effective self-care is not necessarily enough in itself.

We have to take action and in order to do that, we need to make concerted choices. These involve addressing the external causes of stress, such as overwork, but also require an honest assessment of our own internal thought patterns, some of which might be causing excessive anxiety in themselves.

Let's examine some of the strategies that help us stay calm and resilient.

• Social Support
• Exercise and nutrition
• Organize your time
• Organize your money
• Relaxation
• Reflection
• Fun

Social Support

Social support is perhaps the single most effective path to reducing stress; more than therapy, more than medication, more than training. A lot of research has proven that spending time with others reduces the stress hormones in our bodies. Studies have also shown that people with a strong sense of connection with others live longer.

The difficulty with stress and trauma, however, is that they naturally push us towards isolation and withdrawal as we shut out the world and focus on trying to solve the problem that is causing us difficulty. Western culture (to say nothing of the culture of journalism) also seems to value rugged individualism above collective wellbeing.

So seeking out support when you're feeling stressed requires a decision to take responsibility for your own needs and reach out to others. It also requires relinquishing some control over your situation, something which many of us can be reluctant to do.

Support networks can be found, if we are prepared to look. At work, we can speak to colleagues, managers or occupational health workers. Outside work, we have family and friends. If neither of these options is available, there are any number of organisations, sports groups, religious communities, social clubs or other organisations based around hobbies and pastimes that we can join.

However stressful life gets, it is critically important to keep talking to people and building relationships. Support from friends, partners and family members helps us with the practical tasks that we face. But it will also prevent the slide into negative thought patterns that often accompanies stress.

If you feel that you have lost the capacity to join in with others, or that you are beginning to feel pessimistic about life even if it appears to be going well, it may be time to seek professional help.

It is also worth remembering that the best way of developing a support system is to give support to others. If someone you know is struggling with stress and you are able to help them, you will build trust and friendship that you too will benefit from in the long term. See the Active Listening section in the Practical Help and Treatment module for guidance on how to provide effective support.

Exercise and nutrition

Frequent exercise is one of the most effective techniques for reducing stress. Studies show that physically fit people are far better at handling long-term stress without burning out. The many benefits of regular exercise include:

• Relaxation of the muscles
• Better sleep
• Enhanced concentration due to improved flow of oxygenated blood to the brain
• Better mood due to release of endorphins into the blood stream.

Often the first thing to go when people are feeling stressed is a nutritious balanced diet. If we're feeling run down, the body will crave foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt, along with stimulants such as caffeine. Unfortunately, once we have enjoyed the initial burst of energy, we'll be left prone to mood swings, poor concentration, fatigue and depression. Many of these substances actually destroy nutrients in the body, causing fluctuations in blood sugar levels, straining the liver and weakening the immune system. Here are some useful tips for healthy eating and drinking:

• Eat Breakfast: this will fuel your body and stabilize blood sugar levels for the rest of the day.
• Cut down on the coffee: try herbal teas instead, or green tea if you still want a small dose of caffeine. If you do drink coffee, try to limit yourself to three cups a day before about 2 p.m. in the afternoon.
• Drink water: try to drink at least 1.5 litres per day, vital for hormonal function and blood sugar balance.
• Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables: this will give you the dietary fibre you need to control blood sugar levels; the antioxidants that you need to boost energy levels; and the vitamins and minerals that your brain needs to stay sharp.
• Stick to whole-foods: food that has not been processed or refined (whole-grain bread, nuts, pulses, legumes, brown rice, organic meat and fish) will keep your mood stable and provide the nutrients that boost serotonin levels along with the fibre that stabilizes blood sugar.
• Eat a little and often: People who spread their consumption of food throughout the day are less prone to fatigue, insomnia and depression.

Organize your time

Journalism is a very unpredictable profession, so organizing one's time is a constant challenge. The 24-hour demands of the daily news cycle can also make saying no almost impossible. Having said all of that, drawing up a workable schedule can make all the difference between ordinary pressure and burnout.

We all understand that we have to drop everything in the middle of a breaking news story. But it is critical that we keep a handle on what we need to do and when we plan to do it. Aside from work priorities, this also means making time for relationships, leisure and hobbies. If we don't find space for the things in life that de-stress us, we will (obviously) get a lot more stressed.

Organize your money

Studies have shown that financial stress is directly linked to health problems such as depression. If there wasn't already enough to be stressed about in the life of a working journalist, money worries can leave one feeling alone and vulnerable. By keeping track of one's expenditure, sticking to a realistic budget, or drawing up a workable debt repayment plan if necessary, life can suddenly seem a lot more manageable.

Relaxation

One of the most insidious and damaging side-effects of cumulative stress is that we often don't even realise it's happening. Small, incremental increases in stress, compounded by a gradual erosion of our self-care strategies, can creep up on us insidiously. When we finally burn out, we have no idea quite how we got there.

Bearing this in mind, regular relaxation is by far one of the most effective tools for maintaining equilibrium and resilience. While slumping in front of the television is relaxation of sorts (and often sorely needed), it actually stimulates the brain and does almost nothing to metabolise the stress hormones that build in our bodies. So it pays to build relaxation into your daily routine (without, of course, letting that become stressful in itself)!

In the 1970s, Dr Herbert Benson, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School coined the term "The Relaxation Response" after studying students of meditation. It essentially describes the opposite to the Fight or Flight stress response, which is regulated by the sympathetic nervous system. The Relaxation Response, on the other hand, is regulated by the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs our body's ability to calm down and rest.

The good news is that we can learn to activate it ourselves with exercises such as deep, breathing and meditation. Setting aside between 10 and 20 minutes a day will decrease your heart rate, blood pressure, rate of breathing and muscle tension, repairing and strengthening your body and mind. In short, it will reduce your stress. (See Relaxation Response Sheet )

Stretching is also an efficient and easy way to relieve stress. It improves blood flow throughout the body, enhances flexibility and leaves you feeling alert and ready for more work. The Mayo Clinic gives some examples of a number of stretches you can do in your office.

Reflection

The most demanding situations for journalists often require as much of an emotional response as they do a practical one. One of the primary drivers of burnout is the feeling of being overwhelmed by these emotions.

One of the most powerful ways of counteracting that sense of panic is to give time and attention to personal reflection. Every quality that a good journalist requires - insight, sensitivity, resilience, compassion - must be underpinned by this kind of self-knowledge.

Writing a journal is a uniquely powerful tool to combat stress and promote self-awareness. Writing in detail about one's thoughts and feelings provides an opportunity to take a step back and clarify the reality of any given situation. Sometimes, writing a journal can be every bit as effective as talking to a friend or even a counselor, in that it allows free and uncensored expression of one's deepest fears and desires, as well as clarification of one's own sense of value and meaning (see Trauma Tip).

For those suffering from genuine trauma, writing can also help give shape to the experience by exploring and coming to terms with the emotions that it has given rise to. A journal is not supposed to be neat or ordered or even worth reading back afterwards. It is just a way of getting to know yourself better. Use it.

Fun

Having fun can become a distorted concept when you are stressed or traumatized. If there is a reality that we are unwilling to face, the temptation to resort to avoidant Coping Strategies such as alcohol or comfort food can be high. The capacity to enjoy life is also one of the first things to go when people are suffering from depression.

Remember that fun is not an optional extra. It is actually essential. Laughter, for instance, has been proven to reduce the cortisol stress hormone. It also improves circulation as well as strengthening the immune system and the heart.

Making time for fun is essential to preventing the build-up of stress and responding to trauma. Make a list of everything that you regard as fun (no matter how small) and ask yourself when the last time was that you did any of it. If you're surprised by the result, pick an activity, plan a time and do it.