All of us experience stress and reasonable amounts of stress may help us to achieve things in life. However, excessive stress can cause physical and psychological problems. Think about your life for a moment:

Self-observations
How do you recognise that you have a problem?
How do you feel in yourself?
What does stress make you do?
How does your partner think you behave?

Self-awareness
What do you try to do to deal with the stress?
Do you ask for help or not?
Do you see any problems in the way you tackle it?
How can we tackle stress in a healthy way?

Causes of Stress

Finance Problems1. Seek professional help if necessary
(e.g. citizens advice bureau)
2. Try to cut out those non-essentials.
3. Be honest

People Problems
4. Be assertive – this means being fair and respectful to others, but at the same time, putting forward your own position.

Health Problems
5. Seek professional help.
6. Realise your limitations and try to adopt new ways to meet challenges brought about by ill health.

Time problems
7. Keep a focus on the task in hand.
8. Set time goals.
9. Don’t take on too much in the time available.
10. Above all, be realistic and don’t promise what you cannot achieve

Handling Stress

Be Real!
Realise that you are under stress in the first place. Acknowledge the reality of the situation e.g.: finance, time pressures, personal relationships, or health matters.

Share it!
It is OK to communicate your feelings with someone. There is no shame in this.

Put it in context.
Look at the stress alongside other activities and people and try to put it in perspective. Ask yourself “does it really matter?”

Analyse it!
Step back and try to analyse in simple terms where stress points occur on a day-to-day basis. What changes or losses have occurred in my life recently? How can I begin to tackle these stresses?

Healthy Stress Relievers…

• Hobbies
• Pets
• Sports
• Crosswords and puzzles
• TV / Radio / Cinema / Books
• Relaxation therapy: yoga, meditation, autohypnosis

Beware of Habit-forming Stress Relievers

• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Medicines

Please use this information together with the personal advice you have received from your doctor or practice nurse. You should not make any major change to your treatment plan, diet or level of physical activity without first talking to your doctor or practice nurse.