From childhood to late adult life, stress has been the cause of physical ailments and has impinged on my psychological wellbeing. I have tried to prevent, manage and overcome stress and its effects and although I often don’t follow my own maxims, I offer these five lessons I have learned.
- You can’t always control the things that cause you stress – but can absolutely control the way you respond to those triggers.
- Some stress is good. I have been grateful for anticipatory stress before big occasions – exams, interviews, speeches – as it has given an extra dimension to my performance. I’m sure sportspeople and actors would say the same.
- Make yourself learn healthy habits that you can turn to, so instead of eating loads of chocolate, go outside and walk, even if it’s for five minutes. Rather than reach automatically for the wine bottle, pour a large glass of cold water and drink it mindfully, all the way to the bottom. Play a piece of your most soothing music and sit perfectly still.
- Slow breathing really works. No really! The trick is not to wait until you are in the grip of stress with its cold sweat and racing pulse. Practise slow deep breathing every night in bed. Long breath in, swelling out your belly, hold for a second or two, then slowly slowly out. Repeat. It will help you sleep, but more importantly you will know how to do it when you are in a stressful situation.
- Stress feels emotional but its effects are also physical. Improve your posture and don’t slouch. Maintain clear eye contact with people. Do exercise that gets you out of breath about three times a week – it can be anything, just keep moving.
If you don’t treat stress, or if you mistreat your stress, your overall health will suffer and you may experience burn-out.
I am still trying to follow these rules, not always successfully, but with each failure I learn a bit more.
Have a happy stress-free day!
