Expert shares his four-week plan to help you overcome stress for good

Stress is the health epidemic of the 21st century, warn experts.

Three-quarters of Britons – a worrying figure of 49 million according to a survey by the Mental Health Foundation – suffered stress last year.

Work, money, health and lack of sleep were the main factors and 39% experienced stress every day.

Physicians point out that stress is linked to obesity, insomnia, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and even Alzheimer's disease.

Neil Shah – founder of the Stress Management Society and author of the best-selling book, The 10 Step Stress Solution – says, "We are in a stress epidemic.

"Every day, I see patients literally stressing themselves toward an early grave."

Neil developed this four-week plan with tips for dealing with stress.

Week one

We need a daily digital detox and the first thing to do is turn off our phones, ideally between 8pm and 7pm.

The first step is to disconnect and reconnect with those around us, as well as with ourselves.

Many people do not realize that putting small changes in their routine can reduce stress. People are stressed to feel stressed.

I am a big supporter of lists. Written, this seems to be a feasible list.

And, when you check things as you go along, you feel better emotionally.

Take it slowly. Write a list of what overwhelms you.

Children? Job? Write down your daily schedule, then write what you want to incorporate. Brainstorm. Train where you are tense.

I recommend avoiding a technological overhead, spending time outdoors and using breathing and meditation simply to reconnect.

A good sleep is vital – it is a natural healer that is just as important as eating healthy and exercising.

Lack of sleep is linked to weight gain, a higher risk of stroke and a lower level of immunity. Install a routine for bedtime, improve your sleep hygiene and adjust the screen usage a few hours before bedtime to allow you to log out.

We should treat ourselves as children who need to relax. And that means no sugar at night too.

Second week

Food is extremely important and has a direct correlation with our mental well-being.

What we put in ourselves affects us greatly. Cooked dishes, takeaways, crisps, cookies, sweets and anything that contains a long list of ingredients can have a terrible effect.

The same goes for alcohol and too many sugary drinks. Sugar can literally shock and scare the body.

Two hours after a high-sugar meal, you'll have an accident, which can lead to a stressful fight or flight response.

We need a balanced breakfast, regular meals and five servings of fruit or vegetables a day, ideally.

Start small. Introduce a healthy breakfast, make it a habit. Then cut the snacks. Gradually, you will see a huge difference.

And try new foods. You can gradually discover that you like things that you have never thought of eating.

Third week

Start implementing these changes to help you move to a phase of your life without stress. Ready for the next step? Breathe gently … literally.

I strongly recommend that people take the time to slow down and meditate. We can save five minutes a day … before going to bed, when we get up, when it suits us best.

Use this five-point technique to familiarize yourself with deep anti-stress breathing:

1. Sit down or stand up, the spine straight.
2. Count to five when you inhale slowly through the nose.
3. Hold your breath for five to ten seconds.
4. Count slowly up to eight when you exhale completely.
5. Repeat several times

If you are overworked in any way, do not say anything can have a lasting impact on health and stress levels.

You can take too much, try too many activities in too short a time and you constantly rush from one thing to another.

If so, it may be helpful to work on your self-badertion.

Saying no does not mean that you are selfish. It allows others to intensify and allows you to manage your time and abilities to be the best version of you.

Fourth week

Keep these new behaviors in place for a month and they will soon become your new healthy habits. It takes 28 days for a human to create a new habit. You learn along the way.

Try to form friendly relationships with someone and your chances of success can be increased tenfold.

It can be difficult to constantly think about prioritizing health. Life is busy and most people have to balance work and family life.

To have a long-term health benefit and stress levels, it is essential to prepare a plan and hold yourself accountable. Do not try to change everything at the same time, it will be too painful.

If you fail, take the car back. We are all human – you have to give yourself a break.

Sometimes we make bad choices and we do things that we know are not good for our health. Put that out of your mind and get back on track as soon as possible.

Finally, make time for your new job, making sure to follow and committing yourself. You have changed your behavior for years, so it will take time and dedication to stay on track.

Take the time each morning to write down all the positive behaviors you commit to for the day.

If you do this every day, your thoughts will become your actions and your actions will become your habits.

• Neil Shah leads the Stress Management Society. For more tips, visit the page
  stress.org.uk