We live in a fast moving, constantly changing world. Change at home; change in the workplace; change in lifestyle; change to health; change in male female roles and so on. Some of us cope with constant change but many people crack under the ever increasing pressure. Many years ago the comment would be, 'Give yourself a shake and get on with it'. Now Stress is recognised as a serious problem and the cause of many lost working days.

The symptoms of stress are many and varied...

You could become withdrawn, reluctant to join in or merging into the background trying to be anonymous.
You could lose concentration and be unable to finish the task you started.
There could be a sense of hopelessness and despair. You really want to give up.
Your weight could fluctuate up and down.
You could become anxious and experience panic attacks and breathing difficulties.
You could become less tolerant and have mood swings, becoming angry and irritable very quickly.
Your sleep patterns could become erratic and getting a full night's sleep becomes impossible.

That list is not exhaustive and there are other just as important signs that you are under pressure and suffering from stress. Sometimes you feel a sense of failure and many people find it difficult to admit they are unable to cope. It is imperative to recognise the signs and get help. This can be from family members, from a trusted friend, from a professional or through work provided occupational therapists. Once you recognise the symptoms you must tackle the causes and take steps to eliminate the pressure you are under. Some methods you could employ are:-

Think positive; dwell on your successes and not on the things that may have gone wrong. List all the pluses in your life.

Relax; like the advert says, 'take a break'. Switch off, close your eyes, take deep breaths and let your mind empty. Keep repeating a nonsense word in your head that keeps your brain from linking to serious thoughts. Drop your shoulders, relax your jaw and relieve the tension.

You might decide to do the opposite by exercising; not physical exercise but Yoga, Tai Chi or Pilates.

Get more sleep, sometimes easier said than done. Have a warm bath, a soothing hot drink and slip into a warm bed. Something else which can have an amazing benefit is to have a massage. This can be either from a professional practitioner, or from a spouse or partner. Either way it can be a truly wonderful way to de-stress. Use warm aromatherapy oils. There are a huge number available. Definitely gives the feel good factor.

Cut down on caffeine and alcohol, drinking is not the answer. Do socialise with good friends and enjoy a laugh.

The most important piece of advice is one of the shortest. Learn to say no! You are not superman. People will take advantage of you and ask you to take on an ever increasing workload. There is a limit to what you can achieve. Also recognise there are only 24 hours in the day and you need to use some of these for relaxation and regeneration.

You are only human, so reclaim your life and take control. You'll find an inner strength you didn't know you had and with the help of friends and family, you'll soon get your life back on track.