How’s your stress management? I’m a natural redhead with a tendency to fire-off, but I can also dissipate the stress pretty quickly, accepting the inevitable, seeing the funny side of the situation or my behavior, or taking action to make a change.

Of course there are some stressful situations life throws at us from time to time, requiring external professional support. I’m not talking about these. I’m talking about stress that seems unbearable at the time, but in reality just needs living through, like missing flights, parcels not arriving, ‘losing’ something you’re sure you left in a safe place, forgetting to do something or just ‘flapping’ over a deadline. These situations can distress and worry people I know. But come on, we can overcome this!

The rolling eyeballs of my husband or daughter are often enough to shame me out of my stress. Equally I do remind myself to consider what will happen if I do or don’t do something. Accept you’re not perfect. Accept you might have to hang out in an airport for several hours. Enjoy the stress of the work deadline, knowing once completed, the task will have given you satisfaction and you can relax. Don’t worry if the food for your carefully planned dinner party isn’t as wonderful as you’d hoped. Do your dinner guests even care?

We go through our lives beating ourselves up. Yet often other people are looking at us with admiration. Youth brings with it both a lack of confidence and a youthful uncaring assurance, but as we age we often feel less confident in many ways. We’re lucky! We have experience to fall back on. So I say, mind your posture. Stand up and look proud. Tell yourself in one hour/one day/tomorrow, it will be better. Smile. Breathe deeply and remind yourself (in most cases) whatever is stressing you is merely an inconvenience.

Footnote: I am on a train, currently stationary in the middle of nowhere, with a train on-fire in front. I will miss my connection and my 5 hour journey may well be at least 7. Am I stressed? I was, but I’ve had a word with myself and I’m going to get myself a stiff drink.

stress /  humour / lifestyle / family /  posture  /  breathe   / middle age  / ageless / ageing  / confidence  / experience  /life