Top 10 natural disasters

10. Banqiao Dam flood (1975) Death Toll: 90,000–230,000


The Banqiao Reservoir Dam and Shimantan Reservoir Dam are among 62 dams in Zhumadian Prefecture of China's Henan Province that failed catastrophically or were intentionally destroyed in 1975 during Typhoon Nina. The dam failure caused the sudden loss of 18 GW of power, the equivilant of roughly 9 large modern coal fired power stations, or about 1/3 the peak demand on the UK National Grid.

9. Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami (2004) Death Toll: 230.000



The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake. The resulting tsunami itself is given various names, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Asian Tsunami, Indonesian Tsunami, and Boxing Day Tsunami.
The earthquake was caused by subduction and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 230,000 people in fourteen countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 metersfeet) high. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand were the hardest hit. (100

With a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, it is the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. This earthquake had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, between 8.3 and 10 minutes. It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 cm (0.4 inches) and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska.

The plight of the many affected people and countries prompted a widespread humanitarian response. In all, the worldwide community donated more than $7 billion (2004 U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid.

8. Haiyuan earthquake (1920) Death Toll: 240.000

1920 Haiyuan earthquake, was an earthquake that occurred on December 16, 1920. The epicenter was 36°30′N 105°42′E / 36.50°N 105.70°E / 36.50; 105.70, in Haiyuan County, Ningxia Province, Republic of China. It was also called the 1920 Gansu earthquake because Ningxia was a part of Gansu Province when the earthquake occurred.
The earthquake hit at local time 20:06:53 (GMT 12:06:53), reportedly 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, followed by a series of aftershocks for three years. Today's Chinese media claim the earthquake as of magnitude 8.5, although the scale is not specified. It caused total destruction (XII - the maximum intensity on the Mercalli scale) in the Lijunbu-Haiyuan-Ganyanchi area.



7.Tangshan earthquake (1976) Death Toll: 242.000

The Tangshan Earthquake also known as the Great Tangshan Earthquake, was a natural disaster that occurred on July 28, 1976. It is believed to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll. The epicenter of the earthquake was near Tangshan in Hebei, People's Republic of China, an industrial city with approximately one million inhabitants. The number of deaths initially reported by the Chinese government was 655,000, but this number has since been stated to be around 240,000 to 255,000. A further 164,000 people were recorded as being severely injured. The earthquake came in between a series of political events involving the Communist Party of China. It shook China both literally and figuratively in 1976, which was later labeled a "Year of curse".
The earthquake hit in the early morning, at 03:42:53.8 local time (1976 July 27 19:42:53.8 UTC), and lasted for around 10 seconds. Chinese Government's official sources state 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, though some sources listed it as high as 8.2. It was followed by a major 7.8 magnitude aftershock some 16 hours later, increasing the death toll.






6.Antioch earthquake (526) Death Toll: 250.000


In 526 during late May, probably between the 20th and the 29th, a major earthquake hit Syria and Antioch, Turkey, killing approximately 250,000 people. The earthquake was followed by a fire that destroyed most of the buildings left standing by the earthquake. Damage estimates on the Modified Mercalli scale are; VIII Antioch, VII Dafna & Seleucia Pieria. In the port of Seleucia Pereia an uplift of 0.7 - 0.8 m has been estimated, and the subsequent silting up of the harbour left it unusable. This event was the sixth deadliest natural disaster in history and the third deadliest earthquake.



5. India Cyclone (1839) Death Toll: 300.000


A 40-foot storm surge from a huge cyclone that hit Coringa, India on November 25 killed 300,000 people.



4. Bhola cyclone (1970) Death Toll: 500.000


The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and India's West Bengal on November 12, 1970. It was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern times.


Up to 500,000 people lost their lives in the storm, primarily as a result of the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta, many of which had been settled illegally. This cyclone was the sixth cyclonic storm of the 1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, and also the season's strongest, reaching a strength equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.





3. Shaanxi earthquake (1556) Death Toll: 830.000


The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake or Jiajing earthquake is the deadliest earthquake on record, killing approximately 830,000 people. It occurred on the morning of 23 January 1556 in Shaanxi, during the Ming Dynasty. More than 97 counties in the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Gansu, Hebei, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu and Anhui were affected. An 840-kilometre (520 mi)-wide area was destroyed, and in some counties 60% of the population was killed. Most of the population in the area at the time lived in yaodongs, artificial caves in loess cliffs, many of which collapsed during the catastrophe with great loss of life.

2. Yellow River flood (1887) Death Toll: 900.000–2.000.000


The Yellow River (Huang He) in China is prone to flooding, due to the broad expanse of largely flat land around it. The 1887 Yellow River floods devastated the area, killing between 900,000-2,000,000 people. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. For centuries, the farmers living near the Yellow River had built dikes to contain the rising waters, caused by silt accumulation on the riverbed.


In 1887, this rising riverbed, coupled with days of heavy rain, overcame the dikes, causing a massive flood. The waters of the Yellow River are generally thought to have broken through the dikes in Huayankou, near the city of Zhengzhou in Henan province. Owing to the low-lying plains near the area, the flood spread very quickly throughout Northern China, covering an estimate 50,000 square miles, swamping agricultural settlements and commercial centers. After the flood, two million were left homeless. The resulting pandemic and lack of basic essentials claimed as many lives as those lost directly by the flood itself. It was one of the worst floods in history, though the later 1931 Yellow River flood may have killed as many as four million.



1. China floods (1931) Death Toll: 1.000.000–4.000.000


The 1931 Central China floods or the Central China floods of 1931 are a series of floods that occurred during the Nanjing decade in the Republic of China era. It is generally considered the deadliest natural disaster ever recorded, and almost certainly the deadliest of the 20th century (when pandemics are discounted) and in China. The human casualties are estimated from 3.7 million to 4 million.

This is interesting check it

• 70-71% of the Earth is covered by water.
• A thousand tons of meteor dust falls to Earth every day.
• Mount Everest (8850 meters or 29035ft) is the tallest mountain in the world.
• It takes sun light 8 minutes and 3 seconds to reach Earth.
• The coldest temperatue ever recorded was -129 degrees Fahrenheit (-89 Celsius) at Vostok, Antartica in 1983.
• Only 3% of the water on our planet is fresh water.  Of the 3%, 2% of it is frozen in glaciers and ice sheets around the poles.  The other 97% is salt water.
• The lowest dry point on Earth is the Dead Sea in the Middle East which is 1300 feet below sea level.
• The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world. It covers about 1/3 of the Earth’s surface.
• The Earth is the densest major body in our solar system.
• Baikal Lake in Russian Fed. is the deepest lake in the world at 5315 feet.
• The most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust is aluminum.
• It snowed in the Sahara Desert on February 18th, 1979.
• On average, an iceberg weighs 20 million tons.
• 200 million years ago Earth contained only one land mass called Pangea.
• The moon orbits the Earth every 27.32 days.
• Due to gravitational effects, you weigh slightly less when the moon is directly overhead.
• Total fertility rate of the world is 2.59 children born/woman.
• Worldwide each day 400 billion gallons of water is used.
• every 24 hours throughout the year. On the polar sides, however, this is not the case: between the vernal and autumnal equinoxes the Northern Hemisphere points towards the Sun, because of the Earth's position on its orbit, and there is perpetual daylight at the North Pole, with the Sun rising and falling towards the horizon but never sinking beneath it. At the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun is as far north as possible, and hence on this day all places within 23 degrees of the North Pole (and thus inside the Arctic Circle) have constant sunlight. At the South Pole, during this time, there is perpetual night.
  At the northern winter solstice, conversely, the North Pole, being tilted away from the Sun, experiences perpetual night, while in the Southern Hemisphere the "midnight Sun" is visible throughout the south polar region.
   

INDIA'S black money in swiss bank

This is so shocking.. ..If black money deposits was an Olympics event.. India would have won a gold medal hands down. The second best Russia has 4 times lesser deposit. U.S. is not even there in the counting in top five! India has more money in Swiss banks
than all the other countries combined!

Recently, due to international pressure, the Swiss government agreed to disclose the names of the account holders only if the respective governments formally asked for it.. Indian government is not asking for the details... ..no marks for guessing why?

We need to start a movement to pressurize the government to do so! This is perhaps the only way, and a golden opportunity, to expose the high and mighty and weed out corruption!

Is India poor, who says? Ask the Swiss banks. With personal account deposit bank of $1,500 billion in foreign reserve which have been misappropriated, an amount 13 times larger than the country's foreign debt, one needs to rethink if India is a poor country?

DISHONEST INDUSTRIALISTS, scandalous politicians and corrupt IAS, IRS, IPS officers have deposited in foreign banks in their illegal personal accounts a sum of about $1500 billion, which have been misappropriated by them. This amount is about 13 times larger
than the country's foreign debt. With this amount 45 crore poor people can get Rs 1,00,000 each.

This huge amount has been appropriated from the people of India by exploiting and betraying them. Once this huge amount of black money and property comes back to India ,the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt. If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central government. So even if all the taxes are abolished,
then also the Central government will be able to maintain the country very comfortably.

Some 80,000 people travel to Switzerland every year, of whom 25,000 travel very frequently. 'Obviously, these people won't be tourists..They must be travelling there for some other reason,' believes an official involved in tracking illegal money.. And, clearly,
he isn't referring to the commerce ministry bureaucrats who've been flitting in and out of Geneva ever since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations went into a tailspin!

Just read the following details and note how these dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians, corrupt officers, cricketers, film actors, illegal trade and protected wildlife operators, to name just a few, sucked this country's wealth and prosperity.This may be the picture of deposits in Swiss banks only. What about other international banks ?

Black money in Swiss banks - Swiss Banking Association report, 2006 details bank deposits in the territory of Switzerland by nationals of following countries :



TOP FIVE

INDIA $1,456 BILLION

RUSSIA $470 BILLION

U.K. $390 BILLION

UKRAINE $100 BILLION

CHINA $96 BILLION

Now do the math's - India with $1,456 billion or $1.4 trillion has more money in Swiss banks than rest of the world combined. Public loot since 1947:

Can we bring back our money ? It is one of the biggest loots witnessed by mankind -the loot of the Aam Aadmi (common man) since 1947, by his brethren occupying public office. It has been orchestrated by politicians, bureaucrats and some businessmen.

The list is almost all-encompassing. No wonder, everyone in India loots with impunity and without any fear. What is even more depressing in that this ill-gotten wealth of ours has been stashed away abroad into secret bank accounts located in some of the world's best known tax havens. And to that extent the Indian economy has been stripped of its wealth. Ordinary Indians may not be exactly aware of how such secret accounts operate and what are the rules and regulations that go on to govern such tax havens. However, one may well be aware of 'Swiss bank accounts,' the shorthand for
murky dealings, secrecy and of course pilferage from developing countries into rich developed ones.

In fact, some finance experts and economists believe tax havens to be a conspiracy of the western world against the poor countries. By allowing the proliferation of tax havens in the twentieth century, the western world explicitly encourages the movement of
scarce capital from the developing countries to the rich. In March 2005, the Tax Justice Network (TJN) published a research finding demonstrating that $11.5 trillion of personal wealth was held offshore by rich individuals across the globe.

The findings estimated that a large proportion of this wealth was managed from some 70 tax havens. Further, augmenting these studies of TJN, Raymond Baker - in his widely celebrated book titled 'Capitalism' s Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the
Free Market System' - estimates that at least $5 trillion have been shifted out of poorer countries to the West since the mid-1970.

It is further estimated by experts that one per cent of the world's population holds more than 57 per cent of total global wealth, routing it invariably through these tax havens.

How much of this is from India is anybody's guess ...????if India is doing like this the annual tern over will be less and our market will have to close down (BSE\NSE)

we have to trace out the black money when the polities have kept ? where there they use ? but they don't have correct tax details . all are illegal only

How to pass the IAS exam

Not only our technical knowledge helps, but also the

presence of mind and the right answer at right time.

Even if u don't know the answer for a question just

confuse the questioner


Question and the Answer given by Candidates oh sorry

they are IAS Officers now.


Q.How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor

without cracking it?

A. Concrete floors are very hard to crack! (UPSC

Topper)


Q.If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how

long would it take four men to build it?

A. No time at all it is already built. (UPSC 23 Rank

Opted for IFS)


Q.If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand

and four apples and three oranges in the other hand,

what would you have?

A. Very large hands.(Good one) (UPSC 11 Rank Opted for

IPS)


Q. How can you lift an elephant with one hand?

A. It is not a problem, since you will never find ! an

elephant with one hand. (UPSC Rank 14 Opted for IES)


Q. How can a man go eight days without sleep?

A. No Probs , He sleeps at night. (UPSC IAS Rank 98)


Q. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it

will become?

A. It will Wet or Sink as simple as that. (UPSC IAS

Rank 2)


Q. What looks like half apple ?

A : The other half. (UPSC - IAS Topper )


Q. What can you never eat for breakfast ?

A : Dinner.


Q. What happened when wheel was invented ?

A : It caused a revolution.


Q. Bay of Bengal is in which state?

A : Liquid (UPSC 33Rank )





Interviewer said "I shall either ask you ten easy

questions or one really difficult question.


Think well before you make up your mind!" The boy

thought for a while and said, "my choice is one really difficult question."


"Well, good luck to you, you have made your own

choice! Now tell me this. "What comes first, Day or

Night?"


The boy was jolted into reality as his admission

depends on the correctness of his answer,

but he thought for a while and said,

"It's the DAY sir!"


"How" the interviewer asked,


"Sorry sir, you promised me that you will not ask me a

SECOND difficult question!"


He was selected for IIM!


"Technical Skill is the mastery of complexity, while

Creativity is the master of simplicity"

How to do Pranayam?

1. Bhastrika Pranayam

Procedure : Take deep breaths and then completely breathe out.
Duration : 2 mins atleast. 5 mins maximum.
Benefits : helps in heart, lungs, brain, depression, migraine, paralysis, neural system. increase aabha.

More on Bhastrika

2. Kapal Bhati Pranayam

Procedure : Push air forcefully out. Stomach will itself go in.
Duration : Start with 30 times or 1 min. increase upto 5 mins min. upto 10 mins max.
Benefits : increases aabha and tej. helps in obesity, constipation, gastric, acidity, Croesus(liver), hepatitis B, uterus, diabetes, stomach problems, cholesterol, allergic problems, asthma, snoring, concentration, and even cancer and AIDS.
Tips : heart and high BP patients, and weak people do it slowly.
Swamiji says "dharti ki sanjivini hai kapal-bhati pranayam" and that it "cures all diseases of world".

More on Kapal Bhati

3. Baharya Pranayam

Procedure : Breathe air out, touch chin to chest (Jalandhar Bandh?), squeeze stomach completely and hold for a while. then release chin, breathe in slowly.
Duration : 3 times to 5 times normally. maximum upto 11 times. And extremely max upto 21 times (in winters).
Benefits : Helpful for stomach(udar), hernia, urinal, uterus
Tips : not for heart and high BP patients.

More on Bahaya

4. Anulom Vilom Pranayam

Procedure : Hold your right nasal with thumb, breathe in from left. Now open right nasal and close left nasal with middle and ring finger and breathe out from right nasal. Now breathe in from right nasal. Now close right nasal and open left and breathe out and in from left nasal. and so on.
Duration : atleast 10 minutes.
Benefits : Helpful for heart, high BP, heart blockage, vat-cuf-pit, arthritis, cartilage, bent ligaments, sinual fluid reduced, parkinson, paralysis, neural related, depression, migraine pain, asthma, sinus, allergy
Tips : breathe into lungs not to stomach. no organ in stomach absorb oxygen. Do not hurry. Do it slowly. Rest whenever needed (in any pranayam).

More on Aulom Vilom

5. Bhramri Pranayam

Procedure : Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead, and rest three on base of nose touching eyes. Breathe in. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee.
Duration : 10 minutes
Benefits : tension, hypertension, high BP, heart, heart blockage, paralysis, migraine pain, confidence, concentration.

More on Bharamari

6. Udgeeth Pranayam

Procedure : Breathe in deeply, and chant 'Om'kar. OOOOOOm ( long O and small m )
Duration : 10 minutes or more
Benefits : meditation, peace of mind and relaxation.

More on Udgeeth

7. Ujjayi Pranayam

Procedure : Sit erect in any comfortable posture. Keep spine erect. Inhale, slowly drawing air by both the nostrils in such a way that while inhaling the touch of air is experienced in the throat and some sound is produced. During inhalation do not allow abdomen to bulge out, let the chest expand. After completing inhalation slowly exhale. During exhalation chest should go inside and abdomen should remain steady.

Benefits : raises body heat, the sound vibrations calm and focus the mind, letting you relax more. Lower blood pressure and slow heart rate. Effectively used for pain reduction, insomnia, and migraines.

More on Ujjayi Pranayam

8. Nauli Kriya

Procedure : Stand with legs apart. Bend and hold the thighs with the corresponding hands. Exhale deeply and retain breath outside. Pull up abdominal muscles inward, as far as possible. Maintain this lock as long as the breath is retained outside.
Benefits : Prevents all abdominal ailments. Eliminates constipation by encouraging intestinal peristalsis. Keeps sexual organs in good condition and prevents sexual disorders.

this matter is awesome

"I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute" - Warren Buffett

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the fastest train in the world

watch it and enjoy it

The biggest aeroplane in the world

Antonov AN-225, The Biggest and Heaviest Airplane in the World

AN-225 MRIYA (NATO codename: “Cossacks”) is the largest and heaviest airplane in the world. Myria come from The Russian word incidentally means ‘inspired dream’  it is classed as a Strategic Air-lifter and was constructed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukraine in 1988 as a derivative from the Antanov An124.

His job as an aircraft carrier for russian Shuttle Buran, but is also used as an ordinary cargo aircraft. Unlike any other commercially available aircraft, the An-225 has the ability to carry external loads of up to 90 tonnes mounted on its “roof rack” also.

The AN-225 is very big. It takes up more than 2 Boeing 747 parking spaces. There is enough cargo space to load 5 tanks, the complete assembled fuselage of a Boeing 737, or 8 double-decker buses. It can carry up to 1500 people at a time. With a maximum gross weight of 640 tonnes, the An-225 is the world’s heaviest aircraft. A size comparison between it and four of the world’s other largest airplanes is as follow :

Antonov AN225 Comparison

Here’s the complete Specification of the airplane:
* Crew: 6
* Payload: 250,000 kg (550,000 lb)
* Door dimensions: 440 x 640 cm (14.4 x 21 ft)
* Length: 84 m (275.6 ft)
* Wingspan: 88.4 m (290 ft 2 in)
* Height: 18.1 m (59.3 ft)
* Wing area: 905 m2 (9,743.7 ft2)
* Cargo Volume: 1,300 m3 (46,000 cu ft))
* Empty weight: 285,000 kg (628,315 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 600,000 kg (1,323,000 lb)
* Powerplant: 6× ZMKB Progress D-18 turbofans, 229.5 kN (51,600 lbf) each
* Takeoff run: 3,500 m (11,000 ft) with maximum payload
Performance
* Maximum speed: 850 km/h (460 knots, 530 mph)
* Cruise speed: 800 km/h (430 knots, 500 mph)
* Range: With maximum fuel: 15,400 km (9,570 mi) and With maximum payload: 4,000 km (2,500 mi))
* Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,100 ft)
* Wing loading: 662.9 kg/m² (135.5 lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: 0.234
Here’s the photos of the airplane:

Antonov AN225 bringing Buran

Antonov AN225 bringing Buran landing

Antonov AN225 in Manchester

disasters in seconds

How to reduce stress

It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level. The bills aren’t going to stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your errands, and your career or family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management.
Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun – plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on.

Identify the sources of stress in your life

Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress.
To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses:

• Do you explain away stress as temporary (“I just have a million things going on right now”) even though you can’t remember the last time you took a breather?
• Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (“Things are always crazy around here”) or as a part of your personality (“I have a lot of nervous energy, that’s all”).
• Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional?

Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it, your stress level will remain outside your control.

Start a stress journal

A stress journal can help you identify the regular stressors in your life and the way you deal with them. Each time you feel stressed, keep track of it in your journal. As you keep a daily log, you will begin to see patterns and common themes. Write down:

• What caused your stress (make a guess if you’re unsure).
• How you felt, both physically and emotionally.
• How you acted in response.
• What you did to make yourself feel better.

Look at how you currently cope with stress

Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Your stress journal can help you identify them. Are your coping strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately, many people cope with stress in ways that compound the problem.

Unhealthy ways of coping with stress

These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run:

Smoking Drinking too much Overeating or undereating Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities

Using pills or drugs to relax       Sleeping too much Procrastinating Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)

Learning healthier ways to manage stress

If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they all require change. You can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose, it’s helpful to think of the four As: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.
Since everyone has a unique response to stress, there is no “one size fits all” solution to managing it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control.

Dealing with Stressful Situations: The Four A’s

Change the situation: Avoid the stressor. Alter the stressor.

Change your reaction: Adapt to the stressor. Accept the stressor.

Stress management strategy #1: Avoid unnecessary stress

Not all stress can be avoided, and it’s not healthy to avoid a situation that needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.

• Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.
• Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely. 
• Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you anxious, turn the TV off. If traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.
• Avoid hot-button topics – If you get upset over religion or politics, cross them off your conversation list. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when it’s the topic of discussion.
• Pare down your to-do list – Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you’ve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.

Stress management strategy #2: Alter the situation

If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Figure out what you can do to change things so the problem doesn’t present itself in the future. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life.

• Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you don’t voice your feelings, resentment will build and the situation will likely remain the same.
• Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground.
• Be more assertive. Don’t take a backseat in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. If you’ve got an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk.
• Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you can alter the amount of stress you’re under.

Stress management strategy #3: Adapt to the stressor

If you can’t change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful situations and regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude.

• Reframe problems. Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.
• Look at the big picture. Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere.
• Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable standards for yourself and others, and learn to be okay with “good enough.”
• Focus on the positive. When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts. This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective.

Adjusting Your Attitude

How you think can have a profound effect on your emotional and physical well-being. Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. If you see good things about yourself, you are more likely to feel good; the reverse is also true. Eliminate words such as "always," "never," "should," and "must." These are telltale marks of self-defeating thoughts.

Stress management strategy #4: Accept the things you can’t change

Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You can’t prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it’s easier than railing against a situation you can’t change.

• Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our control— particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.
• Look for the upside. As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.
• Share your feelings. Talk to a trusted friend or make an appointment with a therapist. Expressing what you’re going through can be very cathartic, even if there’s nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.
• Learn to forgive. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentments. Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.

Stress management strategy #5: Make time for fun and relaxation

Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by nurturing yourself. If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to handle life’s stressors when they inevitably come.

Healthy ways to relax and recharge

Go for a walk. Spend time in nature. Call a good friend. Sweat out tension with a good workout. Write in your journal. Take a long bath. Light scented candles

Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea. Play with a pet. Work in your garden. Get a massage. Curl up with a good book. Listen to music. Watch a comedy

Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.

• Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.
• Connect with others. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life. A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress.
• Do something you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.
• Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.

Learn the relaxation response

You can control your stress levels with relaxation techniques that evoke the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response. Regularly practicing these techniques will build your physical and emotional resilience, heal your body, and boost your overall feelings of joy and equanimity.
Read Stress Relief: Relaxation Practices That Reduce Stress

Stress management strategy #6: Adopt a healthy lifestyle

You can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical health. 

• Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension.
• Eat a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat. Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day.
• Reduce caffeine and sugar. The temporary "highs" caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll sleep better.
• Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Don’t avoid or mask the issue at hand; deal with problems head on and with a clear mind.
• Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as your body. Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.