Stress - Deal with it!

We all get stressed. Sometimes for a few minutes when we can't find the keys, sometimes for a few days whilst we wait for some big news, and sometimes it seems never ending, and all consuming.

Without wanting to stress you out. Stress is what is killing people in the modern, developed world. It is the endless hours of work, the pressure to succeed and have all the trappings and belongings that reflect your wealth and status. The first thing you need to do is realise that you are stressed. Simple. Now think about why and write a list...... Money? Work? Health? Family?

That is the first step and without it you can't control and reduce the stress in your life.

There are some things that are just out of your control and you need to try not to worry about them because you cannot affect the outcome. Write them down and tell yourself verbally, out loud (like a crazy person) to cast them aside and focus on the things you can control. That is the key word here, CONTROL. You should be in control or your stress, not the other way around. You can then set about dealing with the other stressors in your life.

Without going all Peter Pan on you, it is also a good idea to have a "happy place" to go to either physically or mentally where you can think things over. When I lived in Kent this would always be the beach where I could sit down and think about things whilst chucking some stones in the water. Take some time and go for a walk and think things through. There is nearly always a solution to your problems and sometimes you just need to take 5, and rationalise things in your head without the distractions of day to day life.

"It's good to talk." Your friends and family can usually offer you plenty of support so talk things over with them. They may have some great suggestions, or they may just tell you that you are being silly (a bit of tough love!), but either way you will feel better.

Finally, eat good, clean low carb foods and don't turn to the biscuits and cake (or booze) as you will just end up feeling worse and getting fat!

Why should you listen to me though? What do I know? Fair point..........

I would say that I am very good at dealing with stress personally, and I understand how it affects people including many of my clients. I am only 31 but have endured some pretty stressful times, particularly commanding my own patrol base in a remote area of Afghanistan with sole responsibility for each of the 70 soldiers' lives who lived there with me. Now that WAS stressful, but I dealt with it well and helped the people around me deal with some pretty difficult situations too.

I hope this helps some of you in some little way.

Stay Strong

Ben