Have you seen the latest statistics on stress? We are now suffering from more Stress related illnesses than ever before and it is taking a huge toll on the Economy.

A large percentage of the reasons given for non-attendance of work these days are related to Stress induced disorders, ailments or diseases. There is hope for us all, though.

With the host of techniques available for helping to alleviate your stress levels, you can learn to control, and yes...even learn to relish, a certain level of Stress!

These tools can enable you to actually see what triggers your stress, teach you how to stop yourself from reacting

and even learn to reverse the effects of the stressors that have been affecting your life, for years.

When the level of stress gets too much, take out your toolbox of strategies for combating stress and see how amazing you feel once you no longer have to be a slave to outside influences.

Some examples include:

LEARN TO START LOVING WHAT YOU DO.

We recently went on holiday and our bus driver was a miserable old soul. He hooted at everyone and got all

worked up when someone got angry when he tried to cut in (he's a bus after all!). He drove too fast around the hairpin bends and braked too hard and generally made us glad to be off the bus at the end of the trip.

The next day we got onto another bus (filled with trepidation, I might add) and were greeted by a huge grin from the bus driver. She seemed to know all the other bus and truck drivers on the island and waved to them all. When she went around a particularly tight bend on the mountain pass, she would hoot ahead to warn other motorists and when we rounded the bend, the other big vehicle drivers would actually have

stopped all the traffic to let her through! She'd thank them with a big wave and a grin and they'd grin

right back. Needless to say, we had an absolute ball on that trip!

They both had the same job, but definitely not the same attitude to the job.

If you can find absolutely no way to love what you currently do, find what it is that you do love to do and do it!

LEARN TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH

THOSE AROUND YOU.

Start saying 'Thank you' as opposed to gossiping. Learn to see and appreciate the good in those that you spend an average of 8 hours a day with. When you

turn your thinking around to having an 'Attitude of Gratitude' instead of one of drudgery and complaint,

everything gets better. You will begin to draw people toward you and get help and recognition for all you do from the most unexpected sources.

LEARN TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR

EXPERIENCE OF LIFE.

Have you ever noticed how one person can say something to you and you immediately fly into a rage? Yet another person can say basically the same thing and you laugh? This shows that we are responsible for the way in which we react to outside circumstances. We choose to react

in certain ways, to certain people, events and situations. Isn't that amazing? It means that if we choose not to get upset by what someone else says, we don't have to? Cool!

It also means that we can realize how to talk to others in order to create a win-win situation. If you know saying

something a certain way gets a certain reaction out of someone, then you can choose to inflame or soothe, aggravate or stimulate. Wow, what a difference awareness makes.

If you could do with an injection of the Joy of Life, why don't you try these techniques? You'll get confused

looks for a while but when people realize that you're actually a lot happier and stress free than you used to be, they'll be clamoring to learn your 'secrets'

Go on, tell them what you've discovered and before you know it, you'll all love working with each other, every day!

Namasté

Lisa van den Berg