STRESS MANAGEMENT IN YOUR SOCIAL LIFE

1. Seek Supportive Family and Friends. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Society Psychology suggests that a strong social network can buffer the detrimental effects of stress. For five weeks before taking medical school entrance exams, 56 students kept track of their social contacts; they also rated their anxiety levels. The study revealed that social contacts decreased tension, but obligatory social contacts did nothing to reduce stress.

2. Learn to Detach. While men and women both feel stress when bad things happen to family members, women are far more likely to be affected when stressful events occur in the lives of friends, coworkers, even acquaintances. Women get involved in other people's problems while men are able to stay detached. So what can women do? Take up a hobby or a sport, suggest psychologists. The mental health effects are clear. As long as you're busy perfecting your serve in tennis you won't be worrying about other people's problems.

3. Make Time for Your Friends. Especially when a relationship is under stress, carve out time to get together and protect that time from all your other deadlines and responsibilities.

4. Maintain Balance in Your Relationship. Even when all is well, it's important to talk about balance in friendship. Is the relationship reciprocal? Are both people's needs being met? By bringing this up when everything is fine, you let your friend know the subject is discussable. Then in times of stress, the foundation is there for honest communication.

5. Don't Argue on an Empty Stomach. A surprising number of nasty arguments are actually blood-sugar battles. If you know you get cranky when your stomach's empty, stop for a snack before you launch that serious discussion. A piece of fruit could make the difference between a rational conversation and a blowout.

6. Help Somebody. Studies show that altruism reduces stress, boosts your immune response, improves your cardiovascular health and may even increase your longevity. Focusing on other people's troubles puts your's in perspective. Volunteering to help one person, face to face, on a regular basis produces the most healthful effects, research suggests. But random acts of kindness count, too.

7. Be Compassionate. Don't neglect personal relationships at the expense of your work. A study conducted on 1,000 men and women shows that when people begin treating themselves and others with compassion and forgiveness, their risk of having a heart attack drops 40 per cent.