BUSINESS ADVICE
www.travelweekly.co.uk
With all the talk of doom and
gloom, business downturn,
redundancies and global
recession, no wonder many of
us feel under stress at work –
but what do we mean by this?
Quite simply, it is when the
normal pressure we all need to
motivate us to get out of bed in
the morning becomes too high
for maintaining a healthy
balance. The Department for
Work and Pensions has
outlawed the use of the word
stress, instead referring to it as
abnormal work pressure.
We all respond to diff erent
levels of stress. As an
ex-hospital doctor I used to
thrive on the cut and thrust of
the emergency room; but for
others this environment was
too much.
The one thing we do
recognise is that when this
pressure becomes too great, we
can suff er from a range of
symptoms that can have a
HOW TO...
cope with stress
It aff ects us all in diff erent ways during our working
life, but it is imperative we resolve the issues
that cause stress. Dr David Perl, of workplace
wellbeing specialists docleaf, reports
signifi cant health impact on
us, in the short and longer term.
Having worked with clients
in many crisis situations, I have
observed a range of responses
to the high levels of stress
these invariably create. Some
people seem to cope better
than others and there are
strategies you can adopt to
help you deal with stress.
The sad fact is that the
more stressed we are, the
harder many of these
recommendations become to
follow. So now is the best time
to start, before the storm hits
and you can play a major role
in determining your own
wellbeing.
IN THE WORKPLACE
1. Get away from your desk;
stretch your legs, get some
fresh air and sunlight
2. Don’t reach for a coff ee –
caff eine will make you feel
more on edge
3. Eat a healthy snack such as
nuts or fresh fruit. It may not
be as appealing as chocolate
but it’s much better for you
4. Find a quiet place to relax
and try to switch off for fi ve
minutes – consider learning
some relaxation techniques,
perhaps meditation
5. If you can grab 20 minutes,
power napping works well
PHYSICAL
1. Eat healthily, and try to keep
your weight at a healthy level
2. Exercise. Three sessions a
week of moderate exercise is
good. Some sources now
even advocate exercising for
30 minutes, fi ve times a week
3. If you smoke, stop, or at least
try to cut down
4. Don’t turn to drugs and drink
– if you are using these to
excess cut down, if
necessary by seeking
professional help through
your GP
PSYCHOLOGICAL/
EMOTIONAL
1. Accept responsibility for
your own actions
2. Remember in life we can’t
control events that happen
around us, but we do have a
choice on how we react to
them, and our reactions have
a major impact on our
psychological well-being.
3. If you’ve had a disagreement
with someone, try a little
introspection and refl ection.
Can you try and see the other
person’s point of view? How
do you know you are
defi nitely right?
4. Take time out for yourself,
and indulge in a little of what
you fancy.
8
For pratical advice
and more ‘How to’
features go to
www.travelweekly.
co.uk/howto
November 14 2008 | Travel Weekly | 33
PICTURES: ISTOCK
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