The secret to keeping stress levels positive

Even though thirst and tiredness can be uncomfortable sensations, they're actually on our side because they alert us to when we need to take better care of ourselves, by getting a drink or an early night.

Similarly, stress can be our friend, if we let it. It's just our body's way of alerting us to the fact that we're feeling the effects of pressure of some kind.

A little bit of stress can actually be a good thing, motivating us to work productively to hit a deadline, focusing our minds before a meeting and making us want to acquire new knowledge before an exam. But just as thirst left unchecked can lead to dehydration, stress left unchecked can lead to physical and mental health problems.

The most important thing you can do to keep stress levels positive is to recognise when your body is telling you that the pressure you're facing is beginning to have a detrimental affect on you.

Although the point at which we become 'too stressed' varies from individual to individual, with some 'stress junkies' thriving on levels of pressure that others would gladly avoid, typical common symptoms include:

The secret to keeping stress levels positive is to act on any negative feelings associated with stress, before they become overwhelming. In much the same way that we try to get a drink as soon as we feel thirsty, instead of waiting until we become dehydrated to do something about it.

When seeking to reduce stress levels you have two options:

Increase your emotional resilience and ability to deal with pressure before it gets too much for you.

In reality it's important to do a mixture of both. WPA's EAP/Health and Wellbeing Helpline can offer emotional and practical support if you're feeling overwhelmed, and resilience training to help identify things you can do to stay healthy under pressure.

In total, we've identified six 'batteries' that you need to keep charged to increase your resilience to stress and ability to stay healthy under pressure:

Regular opportunities for quality social interaction with others.

Doing things that give you a sense of joy or achievement.

Nurturing your body by eating well and getting enough sleep.

Stretching yourself and seeing 'failure' as an opportunity to learn.

Setting aside time and worries to mindfully enjoy the moment.

When my son started secondary school I also decided to start a much more demanding job. Although it was a stressful time, with a lot of change happening, I felt more overwhelmed than I should have so looked at which resilience batteries were running low.

I realised my social energy, which had been topped up by chatting to other mothers when collecting my son from his primary school every day, had completely gone, leaving that battery almost empty.

Although the other batteries were running high, I made a concerted effort to reconnect with some of the women I used to chat to on a daily basis and set up a professional network to allow me to regularly interact with like-minded people on a regular basis again.

It took a little while to feel that social connection come back in again but, once it did, I felt my resilience come back to where it had been and felt much more emotionally prepared to meet the new demands being placed upon me.

The secret to keeping stress levels positive is to monitor and respond to any negative feelings before they become overwhelming.

This can be done by reducing the pressures faced or taking stock of your resilience batteries to make sure they're fully charged enough to help you cope.

This article has been reproduced with the kind permission of the third party who provides the WPA Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)/Health and Wellbeing Helpline.

Please note: The EAP/Health and Wellbeing Helpline is not available to family member(s) under 16 years of age. It is optional on Precision Corporate Healthcare and our large corporate schemes so please check your WPA literature carefully to see if you have this benefit.