If someone in your family, or a friend, is suffering from stress, your first thought is to help however you can. It's possible to help relieve their stress in immediately difficult circumstances, and also to help them develop defences against stress in the future. Simply by showing that they can rely on your support and presence in emotionally difficult times, you can play a huge role in their recovery.

Keep in touch with your friend, and show your support by being a constant and reliable presence. Give them a call to check in and see how they're doing. Maybe they'd like to get together for a drink, a coffee, or simply a walk? Encourage them to talk if they want to, but don't feel that you have to solve their problems; your job is to be a friend, not a social worker or a psychiatrist. It's a job that may well be even more valuable to their progress as they address the issues that have led to stress and anxiety.

Particularly if the person you're helping lives on their own, it's important to include them in social and other activities. Call them up and ask them to joinn you for a movie, a pizza, or just a quiet evening at home with a DVD. If you're an exercise fan, that's a great activity to share with a stressed friend, since exercise is an excellent way of relieving stress and tension naturally. But whatever activity you choose, the key is to have your friend join you ... stress coupled with loneliness can quickly lead to depression.

One challenge you'll face is knowing how much help to offer. It's a tricky balance of allowing your friend to take control of the situation, versus intervening directly with offers of assistance. Stress and anxiety can cause a person to have feelings of impotence and frustration, and asking for help may seem a sign of weakness. Part of their recovery must involve taking control of their lives again, and that's a task they have to control. By remaining close to them and making yourself available as a resource, you allow them to feel supported emotionally without necessarily feeling smothered.

The point at which you must consider intervening more directly is if stress turns into depression, a serious ilness with potentially devastating consequences. If your friend becomes detached from the basic tasks of life, such as food, personal hygiene, work, and friends, they may be headed for depression. Another common symptom of depression is persistent fatigue and an urge to sleep much longer than is normal. If you suspect that your friend is depressed, it's important to look clearly at the situation and ask yourself whether friendship alone is enough. If you're in doubt, if you feel out of your depth, get professional help.

In most situations however, stress is a temporary condition that will pass with the help of friends and inner resources. By taking active steps to help your friend, and by remaining accessible and willing to listen, you'll help them move past this troubling time.