Article8
Stress Busting - Coping with Stress
Swindon Evening Advertiser November 2002
Stress Busting - Coping with Stress
Swindon Evening Advertiser November 2002
Believe it or not stress is an important part of all our lives: The right amount of stress motivates us, but too much can result in mental and physical symptoms and possibly long term illness.
So what is stress? An engineer would say that a steel cable holding up a suspension bridge is under stress when there are two forces acting in opposite directions, gravity pulling the bridge down and the towers to which the cables are attached pulling it up. In a similar way we all experience stress when we have the desire to do something more enjoyable pulling in one direction, and the need to do something that we feel obligated to do pulling in the opposite direction. So you may prefer to stay in bed, but the stress caused by the need to work and earn money to pay the rent motivates you to go to work. This is positive stress. However if the bridge becomes too heavy the cable may snap, leading to disaster.
If you think of the bridge as your life the cars and lorries that run over it are your obligations, fears and worries and the towers holding up the bridge your beliefs and desires. There will always be traffic, but too many heavy lorries at the wrong time, and the cables will start to fail, and at this point you may begin to experience symptoms of stress. Initially they may be mild; frustration, tension, sleep disturbance and jumpiness but if the traffic flow remains high for an extended period of time they will worsen, often to the point where the individual feels, our physically is, totally unable to cope with life.
In this way many perfectly normal, capable people encounter points in their lives that they simply need some help to deal with and overcome.
What can be done to help? It may be as simple as avoiding or modifying the factors producing the stress. Looking after your physical well being by eating, sleeping and exercising better can also help to "stress proof" you. However to achieve long-term balance it is often important to examine the beliefs that we hold about our lives and ourselves and the reasons for our desires. In this way we can prioritise and change our perceptions so that we can begin to live the life that we all deserve. Andrew Hill is available to help individuals and businesses, and regularly give talks on stress management and reduction.
So what is stress? An engineer would say that a steel cable holding up a suspension bridge is under stress when there are two forces acting in opposite directions, gravity pulling the bridge down and the towers to which the cables are attached pulling it up. In a similar way we all experience stress when we have the desire to do something more enjoyable pulling in one direction, and the need to do something that we feel obligated to do pulling in the opposite direction. So you may prefer to stay in bed, but the stress caused by the need to work and earn money to pay the rent motivates you to go to work. This is positive stress. However if the bridge becomes too heavy the cable may snap, leading to disaster.
If you think of the bridge as your life the cars and lorries that run over it are your obligations, fears and worries and the towers holding up the bridge your beliefs and desires. There will always be traffic, but too many heavy lorries at the wrong time, and the cables will start to fail, and at this point you may begin to experience symptoms of stress. Initially they may be mild; frustration, tension, sleep disturbance and jumpiness but if the traffic flow remains high for an extended period of time they will worsen, often to the point where the individual feels, our physically is, totally unable to cope with life.
In this way many perfectly normal, capable people encounter points in their lives that they simply need some help to deal with and overcome.
What can be done to help? It may be as simple as avoiding or modifying the factors producing the stress. Looking after your physical well being by eating, sleeping and exercising better can also help to "stress proof" you. However to achieve long-term balance it is often important to examine the beliefs that we hold about our lives and ourselves and the reasons for our desires. In this way we can prioritise and change our perceptions so that we can begin to live the life that we all deserve. Andrew Hill is available to help individuals and businesses, and regularly give talks on stress management and reduction.