That was what the Western experts have to say. But in the experience of Indian executives, there are also some home-truths worth considering. I would recommend.
Know your job well, and enjoy your work. It is the tedium which leads to stress. Be fully involved. You dont have to slow down, yet you should. not burn yourself out.

Think out logically and analyse the problems or situations you have to handle and which can lead to stress. Tackle the situation priority-wise. Break it down into stages or steps.
Then take action. Action is the key.

Talk straight. Frank and honest Thats the only way to avoid stress-traps in our hectic, competitive, and often political, work life.

If possible go to your office, or work place, on time and come home on time. Make it a habit.

Cultivate a hobby to take your mind off your work-reading light novels, writing, photography, tennis (or any other game), or whatever.

On weekends just relax. May be just laze around the house Be with the family, watch television, do nothing. Even skip official socialization!

Indian gurus preach meditation. Yes, if you are ably guided, meditation can be an answer to a large part of the stress factor in our executive lives.

The key to making stress a positive part of your life if learning to deal with it and use it to your advantage In an article on the subject in the World Executive Digest, Lim Grensing quotes seven ways to manage stress successfully:-

Tips on managing stress

• Determine which job related duties you like and do them at least once a day. Although you ma} not be able to reduce stressful tasks, make sure they do not rob you of the enjoyable aspects of your job.

• Allocate blocks of time for concentrating on specific tasks. These slots of productivity will give you a sense of accomplishment and thus reduce your feelings of helplessness.

• Spend time with people who boosf your ego, are good at listening, can sympathise with your insecurities and stresses.

• Develop interests outside of work. Take courses. Involve yourself in professional extracurricular activities.

• Exercise regularly. Being in good shape can help you feel better emotionally and mentally.

• Give yourself a treat sometimes. Buy that special item you always wanted, take a vacation.

• And, perhaps most important, dont take on more work than you can handle. Learn to say No!

Dr. Louis Kapolow, of the National Institute of Mental Health, USA says you need stress in your life! Stress adds flavour, challenge, and opportunity, especially in business life. But too much stress, however, can seriously affect ones physical and mental performance. The best strategy to distress according to Dr. Kapolow lies in the art of relaxation finding satisfaction in just being, instead of always striving.

Modern life in todays world is so fast and frenzied that most of us push ourselves too far and too quickly. We do not allow ourselves time to accustom ourselves to our lifestyle, we do not allow ourselves time to unwind, and we do not allow ourselves the chance to soothen our minds with gentle, pleasing, relaxing images. We are always in a rush. Rush to meet deadlines, rush to meet pending bills, rush to make it to an appointment. Its money problems, its time problems, its love life. It is what is called social mobility i.e. moving up the promotion ladder, getting a better job, earning more money, having a bigger house, car so on and so forth. All these factors are pushing us towards stress and more stress till it starts telling on our behaviour, attitudes and emotions towards others. Stress is one of the greatest environmental hazards of our times, writes Winnie Singh.

Although stress is a root cause of most of the twentieth century diseases, it is not actually stress itself that ever kills anyone. Most of the 20th Century pressures are abstract fears, worries, anxieties and suspicions. We frequently respond not to the real pressures that surround us but to the pressures we think are there. The stress that is killing us all exists not in the real world around us but in the world that exists in our heard. By changing our society we have changed the type of pressures we have to face, and because those new pressures are so often abstract and ethereal. We create new stresses and fears out of thin air and grief and calamity cause inner bitterness.

It is imperative to realise the importance of maintaining good health. Because of the polluted environment and various health hazards one has to make conscious efforts to be physically and mentally fit by eating nutritious food, regular physical exercises, avoiding excessive stress, tension, smoking, drinking, use of tobacco and adopting habit of moderation.

The changing trends in the international business scenario compel us to adopt a fresh approach to business. Some of the guiding factors in this regard are: an innovative and creative approach with an emphasis on constant learning and readiness to change; to create an environment of friendly and flexible approach; giving due regard and recognition to the work performed by workers at various levels; affording opportunities to the employees to make their contribution at different stages of perception, planning and execution. Even if most of your business objectives are fulfilled, your efforts to provide better satisfaction to the customers must continue.

Keeping a cheerful countenance is not only good for oneself but it is important and necessary while dealing with others. No one likes a morose, sullen annoyed or agitated face. A cheerful person can talk freely and impress others. While cheerfulness adds strength, anger consumes energy and creates problems.

Repercussions of saying a wrong word, at times, may cost you losing a client or customer for ever. You can increase your clientele if you provide service with a smile.

Organisations have a tendency to neglect follow-up of outstanding dues. Very often claims remain outstanding for years due to inadequate follow-up. This means that money could be locked up for years. Ensure that all outstanding dues are followed up and the amounts recovered put to further re-use.

Putting off or neglecting things is a sure way of incurring loss in business. Delay in submission of returns of sales tax, income tax etc. often invite penalty and additional charges. Similarly, negligence of an important matter may cause a big hole in your wallet. To avoid such losses one must keep a note of all important functions and fix up a time schedule to complete these jobs. If you cannot do it yourself fix the responsibility to remind you the whats and whens of your schedule on one of your employees.

Big is the buzz word in the business parlance today. Those who wish to succeed in life have to be ambitious, pragmatic, hopeful and confident about their future and ever ready to make it big. The bigger you think and act, the bigger will be your success. The ability to look at the future with an overwhelming confidence is a great quality that an entrepreneur must possess. To foresee what kind of products or services are going to pick up demand in future, and plan in that direction is what will pay a entrepreneur endowed with the quality of far-sightedness. Naturally to think big is only an inspiration or initial act for acting big.

There are so many small things in our daily life which become unnecessarily irritants if we give undue importance to these things or stretch these too far. Narrow-mindedness is not at all a desirable trait in human beings. Besides wasting your time, it spoils your mood affecting your functioning for the rest of the day.