West Midlands one of most stressed places in UK

We're snappy and ready to fly off the handle, sleep deprived and grouchy - and all because we can't achieve that 'perfect' work/life balance that supposedly guides us towards a life of contentment.

And just when you thought you were stressed enough - along comes Christmas and with it the festive frenzy season.

According to new figures, the region is home to higher stress levels than most the UK. One in five of us get stressed out six or more times a week, leading to relationships breaking down, health problems and sleep deprivation. According to the figures almost a quarter of us in the West Midlands find our home lives as stressful as the daily grind at work.

We're under pressure to keep the house clean and tidy, manage the bills and finish off those dreaded DIY jobs,

Of course the stress factor is pushed up into the red at this time of year, with decisions to be made over what presents to buy, how much to spend, where to have Christmas dinner and how best to avoid that family member you can't stand.

When Christmas shopping the number of slow-walking people in shopping centres increases at a ridiculous rate and trying to park in a town or city centre becomes akin to a military operation.

Cooking Christmas dinner, trying to make plans with relatives, buying presents - all activities to put the stress-o-meter through the roof.

And then there's the spectre of those humongous January credit card bills looming on the horizon.

To compound the misery we're clueless when it comes to dealing with stress. Instead of confronting our problems we bury them away, smoking like chimney's and soaking ourselves in the sauce as a means of relieving the pressure.

The statistics suggest that we're crawling into work every morning on the back of barely any shut eye, putting in a dozen hours of weary graft before returning home to get boozed up and have a blazing row with the other half.

So what can we do about it?

According to the experts resorting to booze, fags and coffee to help us cope is the first thing that needs to be given the elbow.

Professor Cary Cooper, a leading authority on stress coping techniques, said we should avoid unhealthy habits and instead focus on getting to the root cause of our problems.

"It's like putting your head in the sand," he said. "It might provide temporary relief but it won't make the problems disappear. You need to tackle the cause of your stress."

The University of Lancaster professor says it is too easy to become reliant on our crutches, often resulting in current problems getting worse and causing new stressful situations to appear.

"Men more than women are likely to do this," he added. "We call this avoidance behaviour. Women are better at seeking support from their social circle."

No doubt it's great advice, but surely everyone needs an outlet? Which brings us nicely onto the next recommendation. Get some exercise!

Working out pumps up the brain's feel-good neurotransmitters - called endorphins - increases self-confidence and improves the mood, putting us in a better frame of mind to deal with whatever life throws at us.

Some experts suggest one sure fire way of combatting stress is to do someone a good deed.

The idea is that helping others puts our own problems into perspective and gives us the feel good factor.

These days more and more of us are turning to New Age techniques as a means of curbing our stress levels.

Shelly Arkless runs classes across the West Midlands teaching mindfulness techniques, a form of meditation that helps people to become more resilient when under pressure.

It has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as a frontline treatment for stress and depression, and Mrs Arkless says the method has really taken off.

"When we are stressed we get into habitual patterns of behaviour that often make things worse," said the 55-year-old from Bloxwich, who runs The Mindful Road website.

"Mindfulness teaches techniques that help us to step back from our problems and make a choice to do something else instead of reacting in our usual way."

One of the modern ways to relieve stress is Laughter Therapy. These sessions generally feature a group of people standing around and....well, laughing.

Keith Adams, of the UK Laughter Network, explains. "Laughing is an excellent way to reduce stress in our lives, and can help you to cope with and survive a stressful lifestyle.

"Laughter provides a full-scale workout for your muscles and unleashes a rush of stress-busting endorphins. Since our bodies cannot distinguish between real and fake laughter, anything that makes you giggle will have a positive impact. " laugh."

But the best stress therapy of them all? According to boffins in the US, all we really need is a good hug. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University questioned 400 people about their personal conflicts and the sort of support they received.

Then they exposed them to a common cold virus and put them in quarantine. The results showed that people who felt well-supported by family and friends were less likely to fall victim to infection due to stressful situations.

And it was all down to the hugs. Those who received more cuddles experienced less severe illness symptoms regardless of the amount of stress they were under.

That's the solution. When the turkey is burnt to a crisp on Christmas Day, or you're selling half your possessions on eBay to raise enough cash to pay off January's credit card bill, just find your nearest and dearest and give them a squeeze.