It’s spring! The flowers are blooming and many are yellow, the colour which research tells us makes us feel most optimistic and energetic.

A pot of daffodils will brighten your mood so put them on your desk or table. Research by Washington State University showed employees with blooms on their desks felt 10 percent less sleepy in one day.

1. Early morning snoozes can actually make you more tired. Have you ever hit the snooze button on the alarm clock at least a dozen times at the start of your day, vowing to sleep for five more minutes only? This technique of sleeping briefly will not give you more energy, but will actually make you drowsier. When the alarm clock goes off, sit up slowly, breathe deeply, and gradually get yourself out of bed. A stress-free day begins the moment you wake up, so don’t stress your body first thing in the morning.
2. Coffee, or any form of caffeine, will actually stress your body if you take too much at the beginning of your day. Research shows that coffee works in small, frequent doses, so if you must drink coffee, drink smaller servings every few hours. A large cup or two at breakfast will actually make you sluggish, and you may have a harder time keeping your concentration. You could try switching to apples. Eating apples at the beginning of your day can pep you up and keep you alert, and they are healthier fare than coffee, too.
3. Don’t skip meals. Stress can make your body more susceptible to illness, and skipping meals will make you sicker than ever. If you have a hard time staying awake at your desk, bring healthy snacks with you, such as carrot sticks or celery sticks, so that you can snack while you work. This tip works for dieters as well: studies show that smaller food portions taken at more frequent intervals can actually help you lose weight.
4. Don’t underestimate the power of exercise. If your office has a gym, take advantage of the proximity and do a few minutes of exercise at the end of each day. Exercise releases endorphins, which can increase your energy and makes you feel better about yourself. Stress will make you feel lethargic and dull, feelings that exercise can help ease.
5. Engage in as much human contact as you can. Don’t stress yourself out if people keep interrupting you: human contact can actually help you relax and get your mind off your tasks. It can also help you think out of the box, and allow you to find solutions to your problems or dilemmas.
6. Get a good night’s sleep: Sleep is essential to your health and wellbeing and your ability to cope with the stresses of daily life. Lack of sleep not only raises stress hormones but research shows that it also interferes with blood sugar levels and increases your risk of depression.
7. Vitamins and minerals: The adrenals rely on vitamin C, vitamin B, zinc and magnesium to make hormones and function well, and these are rapidly decreased when you’re under stress. So support your adrenal glands by eating a healthy balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables and whole grains and take a good multivitamin and mineral every day with an extra vitamin C supplement.
8. Deal with short term stress, such as sitting in heavy traffic, with simple relaxation techniques such as tensing your muscles and relaxing them or deep breathing to a count of ten. Other techniques for short term stress include stretching, talking with friends, drinking calming herbal teas like chamomile or lemon balm, having a good laugh, stroking your pet, day dreaming about relaxing places you’ve been to or hugging some one you love.
9. Research has shown that massage can help lower blood pressure, improve breathing, boost mood and wellbeing and aid circulation. Some experts believe that massage helps the brain produce endorphins, the chemicals that act as natural painkillers. The sense of well-being you get from a massage can lower the amount of stress hormones circulating in your body. Yoga is also a great stress reducer with studies suggesting that it can help prevent depression. MIND, the UK’s leading mental health charity recommends yoga as the single most effective stress buster. Meditation is another good way to deal with mental and physical stress.
10. Set aside time to relax every day no matter what and try not to be a perfectionist. The housework can wait, the phone can ring without you always answering it and if the kids are screaming, putting them to bed half an hour earlier so you can get some much needed relaxation isn’t going to hurt. If you’re tired give yourself a break — you deserve it.

Remember, you can fight stress by keeping yourself healthy, and by allowing your body a bit of rest every time it gets tired. As long as you manage your time wisely, eat the right foods, and sleep well, you don’t need to be stressed out about the ill effects of stress.

Four children whose brains and mental abilities were suddenly transformed after they took a simple dietary supplement have astonished scientists.

Scans showed their brains underwent three years’ of development in just three months. At the same time they displayed remarkable improvements in tests of reading, concentration, problem-solving and memory. One boy who previously scorned books and was hooked on TV developed a love of reading and declared he was “bored” of television.

The three boys and one girl, aged between eight and 13, were taking part in a pilot study looking at the effects of diet on developing young brains. Scientists believe the results are powerful evidence of the harm “junk food” is doing to Britain’s children.

The children were given a supplement containing a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, and encouraged to cut down on fatty snacks and fizzy drinks and be more active. At the end, they underwent brain scans at St George’s Hospital, London, in a machine that can detect a key biochemical indicator of brain development called NAA (N-Acetylaspartate).

Higher levels of NAA correspond to more nerve fibres growing in the brain. Researchers from Imperial College London claimed that the results were astonishing and that they saw as much growth in NAA in three months as you would normally see in three years.