Stress is no joke and we all face more and more stress in our lives - particualry designed by things that are supposed to make our lives less stressful.

There are loads of little things we can all do to make our days a little less stressful - some are really small yet honestly make a HUGE difference.

Be grateful - at the end of each day count 3 things that you are grateful for - even if they were so small - like having enough milk in the bottom of the bottle to make that last cup of tea of the day - The science of happiness

Heartbeat - Go for a walk and listen to the sound of your heartbeat and footfalls as you do so

Exercise releases endorphins, tones the body and just makes you feel so much better about yourself

Breathe - yes I know but actually we forget how to do this properly. Shallow breaths mean we hold onto tension. Nice long slow breaths that go all the way from deep in your belly - long and slow.

Make a brief list - of the things that bother you then well and truly destroy it. Scribble all over it, stamp on it, put mud on it, burn it and just be pretty ridiculous about the whole thing. Feels great!

Watch the sunset (Or the rain against the window) - with a perfectly made cocktail in your hand, taking small sips like you were a very rich film star

Day dream - imagine what you'd do if you were very very wealthy, design the house, your life, plan the money you'd give away, the shopping trips to New York...

Flowers - Buy yourself some gorgeous flowers and put them where you see them most often

Walk barefoot in the grass - making sure you concentrate on the lovely cool freshness of the green beneath your feet

Clouds - Look for patterns in the clouds and take photos of them

Mood board - make a mood board, it's brilliant for destressing - find all the pictures in magazines that appeal to you, no matter why and cut them out to stick in an old scrapbook or photo albumn. Photos and images of scenes that you find calming, pleasing, or aspire to etc

Start a new business - It might be something you've thought of for years and hey, who knows, it might not be that multimillion dollar idea that will buy you the life of your dreams. But how do you know if you don't try?

Ride a rocking chair - Sit in quiet or listen to your favourite music and just gently rock into lovely soothing mindless motion

Reread a favourite book - if you have a book where the characters have become your friends climb back into it and meet them all again.

Move your furniture around - Apart from giving the opportunity for a major spring clean it's astonishing how a different arrangement of furniture can change an angle and perspective of your life.

Have a massage - sod the expense. A fully body massage that works over everything in your body. Touch is healing and sometimes we all need it very much

Get down and dirty - make genuine mud mud pies or build a sandcastle (I bet you thought rude thoughts when you first saw that!

Sunlight and shadows -Take a nice big bucket of water out into the sunshine and just look at the patterns the sunlight makes through the water

Music - listen, uniterrupted to your favourite music with headphones on if possible

Love - Spend time with a special friend or loved one and think of all the things that are so special about them

Being positive - If something awful has happened - try every aspect of finding a positive angle to it - when my mum died I told myself on tough days that at least she'd be there to meet me! In every bad thing there is a positive - take the time to look for it and you'll feel much stronger.

Drive - Get in the car, put the music on loud, singing along at the top of your voice and just drive. To nowhere in particularCry - even you don't feel tearful right now make yourself cry - it works a treat

Laugh - even when you don't want to. Start with a really false laugh and keep on with it. After aw hile it starts to sounds so utterly ridiculous you can't help but at laugh at the sound of the noise you're making which makes you laugh ever harder - brilliant stress busterDuvet days - Have a pyjama day where you spend all day in your pyjamas, slobbing around the house

Animals - stroke or cuddle a pet. Science has shown caring and loving a pet can be enormously beneficial for the stress levels

Unplug the phones (and the children/partner/pets) and have a looooonnnnnng soothing bubble bath. Don't forget a nice drink and whole bunch of candles

Hug a tree - yes it works! Particularly if you lie under the same trees for the next half hour and just stare up through the leaves at the bright blue sky

Rest and forgive yourself for not being perfect and/or superhuman

Declutter - your main living rooms at home - even if you can't stand the thought of throwing anything away just put everything extra in a big box and pack it away in the loft/cellar/garage/under the bed

Vitamins - Include vitamin B rich foods in your diet

Plan something in your life that you can look forward to - do it now. Don't put it aside as say I'll plan it when I've got the time/money. No, plan it now - the rest just falls into place.

Stretch - like a cat - slowly and langourously - every muscles- every sinew - long and slow and wghile you do it yawn widely - do this a few times - great stress buster

Talk - face to face or on the phone to someone who loves you. And yes there is always some one out there who loves you

Finally make a nice long list of all the things that destress you ... I'm so laid back now I could be mistaken for a deck chair