A little stress is good for us until it becomes overwhelming! Here are my top tactics to saying yes to less stress.

Don't go without protection. Just as we put sunscreen on us to protect against the harmful rays of the sun, we sometimes need to protect ourselves from people, places and things. You can't stop other people from being negative or living their lives from one drama to another, but you can stop yourself from being sucked in by them.

Look inside yourself. Although there are many dangers around that can cause us to feel stress, many of these dangers are lurking inside us. It may not be possible to eliminate stress altogether. However, it is possible to try to control the level of stress you feel.

Take life in bite-size chunks! There may be only so much that you want to change in your life to make it less stressful. You can't do it all at once! But no matter how small a step you take each day, over a year that will add up to 365 daily actions. Start wherever you are and take one step at a time - that is all you can do!

Begin with yourself. Most of us find it is hard enough to change ourselves. It is even more difficult to change others. So if you find yourself stressed by the actions of others, change how you react, rather than expecting others to change.

Stop worrying. Realise that there are many things in our lives that we don't have control over. Let them go. Instead worrying about what you can't change, focus your thoughts on what you can change. The antidote to worry is action.

Put yourself first. Take care of yourself first. It's not selfish - it's necessary, because if you are burned out and running on empty, you have nothing left to give to others. You cannot give away what you don't have. Put your priorities first and make sure you have the energy and attitude to help others.

Take a break. If you are doing something that is really frustrating, you need to take a break. Step away from the situation for a while. The more stressed you are, the less likely you are to be effective in solving a problem.

Say No! Don't take on more than you can handle. Say 'no' to other people, especially when it will make your life more stressful than you want. Take responsibility for what you can and can't cope with. Say 'no' and don't take on more than you can manage.

Don't give up too soon. Refocus! If you find you are slipping away from reaching your goals, STOP! Take a break and refocus your actions on the bigger picture. Any change can be difficult. But what is the cost of not changing?