Let me begin from my own story. I did not know it was stress. But I still remember that, as a student of grade six or seven, it brought me jitters to think that the blissful summer holidays were about to come to an end and I had not completed the home work. It would mean punishment from the school teachers, especially the maths teacher. It was like experiencing an unwanted feeling of dread and anxiety and there was no way out of it. The stress would continue to pile up.

Things have changed since then, and for the better. A few decades down the road, I continue to be under some sort of stress. I know that this state is called stress and that I can or will be able to cope with it reasonably well, if not overcome it. It is not easy though; it has to be a conscious effort.

One way of getting some relief, to me, is by watching tv at night when the hectic day has morphed into the calmness of the night and my occasionally complaining life partner and two untiringly playful kids have gone to sleep. It is that time of the night when I can surf the cable freely, without having to stop at a cooking programme or a cartoon channel. I can take delight in action scenes in a movie without being criticised of acting like a teenager.

Not everyone is a success though in this endeavour to be stress-free. As we grow up, we are able to define it, or if not, have very clear and easy definitions of what stress is actually. We rummage through the dictionaries online to get a definition and several ways of how to get rid of this. We understand that, according to one definition, it is a state of "mental or emotional strain or tension, resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances."

So, how to wriggle out of those "adverse or demanding circumstances"? There is no one size that fits all. To begin with, someone has rightly said that "the best way out of a difficulty is through it." Meaning that one has to bravely face and deal with a situation to let it pass over. But it is easier said than done.

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A lot of effort and research has gone into dodging stress. Recently, according to the BBC, an Italian company tried to figure out how to decrease the stress level of its employees. It came to know that not having to deal with a lot of e-mails can also bring down one’s stress level.

The textile company hired an expert to interview its employees about what their main problems at work were. Many workers said that managing the huge volume of internal correspondence was a burden during the working day. So the company’s management proposed the solution, which, ironically, was sent to the staff in an email. It advised its staff to stop sending any emails for a week to reduce stress levels.

There are people who unwind by taking some time out of the highly demanding world around them, by taking a stroll in a park or cycling through a path less visited by the crowds of people everyday, away from the din and noise of the peak office hours.

And there is an advice from the doctor, too, which a friend of mine adheres to quite religiously. It says eat a healthy diet because well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress. Reduce caffeine and sugar, the advice further says. And get enough sleep, it concludes.

But there is another type of eating, too, called binge eating. Experts say binge eating is a pattern of what they call disordered eating which "consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of food." It seems it is more of an evidence of stress in a person than an effort of fighting it. So, beware my friend of crossing the thin line between healthy eating and binge eating!

Playing cards is another way of shifting your attention from what gives you tension. These days spending time on Facebook seems to have replaced playing cards on your PC. One has time to like a photo one of your friends just uploaded, throw a comment on a controversial issue, or share a post you believe others would like to see and appreciate. A short clip from an upcoming movie or an unreported footage of a disaster is enough to raise your curiosity levels.

There are some who do not like a sedentary way of shedding the burden and energising their mind. Jogging is a favourite activity of those who can spare an hour or so in the mornings or in the evenings to refresh. And it is not age-bound. One can see the young and the mostly older in a park, refusing to be cowed down by challenges of the modern life.

Last but not least, talking to someone about how you feel can also be helpful, to a great extent.