Are you feeling run down and stressed? Do you feel tired but wired? Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Do you have trouble waking in the morning, feeling like you got hit by a truck?

Chances are you have too much on your plate. Most of us do -- even it is just a matter of perception. Regardless, there’s a strong possibility that you’re feeling stress.

Even though stress isn’t bad (just like the Goldilocks Principle tells us, we need just the right amount to thrive), too much stress for too long can be harmful and impairing.

Along those lines, stress management tactics like the following are priceless for protecting your limited, valuable resources:

• Set boundaries. Learn to say “NO.” As hard as it can be, you may be spreading yourself too thin by aiming to please others and taking on more than you can handle. Do what is right and don’t make apologies. Stop taking so much on, start saying NO, and then you'll be free to live up to your full potential in life. If you want to do great things, you must do fewer things. 
• Practice yoga. Yoga has been shown to reduce cortisol and exert powerful “anti-stress” effects.
• Meditate. Mindfulness meditation, which is a form of meditation where you focus your awareness on your breathing and body in the present moment, has been shown to lower both stress and cortisol levels.
• Take a walk. Taking a leisurely walk in nature, also known as Shinrin-yokuor “forest bathing,” can help reduce stress, lower cortisol, and activate the body’s “rest and digest” branch of the nervous system (parasympathetic).
• Breathe deeply and slowly. Start with a long exhale, blowing out all the air in your lungs over the course of about 5 seconds. Hold your breath for a second, then take a deep, 5-second breath in through your belly, holding for a second. This type of breathing activates the vagus nerve, which reduces the body’s “fight or flight” response and increases its parasympathetic activity.
• Exercise. There’s no question that exercise can be an effective helping manage stress, and according to an article published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal, “all types of exercise can be beneficial for stress management.” That said, be careful with doing too much high-intensity exercise (such as high-intensity resistance training and high-intensity interval training), which can induce a pretty substantial adrenal/stress response and promote burnout.10 In fact, many female clients that I’ve worked with have greatly benefited from reducing their volume of high-intensity exercise, instead including a bit more low- to moderate-intensity activity (e.g., walking, yoga).