Is there a recession? Maybe it depends on who you talk to and what about. A few days ago I had a guy come to the door to see if I would like to have the drive to my house block paved. It was the usual story – in the area, doing a house down the road, economies of scale with materials etc. well he quoted £3400 and said he would come back the next day. I, of course, said I would think about it.

He did not come back the next day but he did a couple of days later when I told him I would not be going ahead. He started to tell me about all the things he would do to make a fabulous job and offered to do it for £2800. Now that is a good price for the right specification and a quality job. I won’t be going ahead because my mood is against spending on non essentials just now and house values are falling so I don’t perceive it as an investment. I conclude that businesses such as his will be badly hit by the recession.

On the other hand I am a non executive Director of a Company in the software business. The Company implements software solutions that streamline business processes and generate efficiencies and therefore improved productivity. The Company is almost overwhelmed with enquiries just now. I consider that businesses that can deliver improved efficiency and productivity will likely prosper during the recession, especially if the cash break even point is within a year.

So – it just depends!

There is a big difference between STRESS and PRESSURE which most people don’t truly understand. This is not to say that people under pressure don’t matter it is just that pressure, so long as it is not excessive, is good for us and actually boosts most peoples health (honest it’s true!) it is when pressure or demands become excessive and create stress that difficulties can follow. As everyone has a different perception (that’s their reality) there is no prescribed way to stop everyone from moving from pressure to stress (I like to use the word “DISTRESS”)

So what can we do……..??????????

There is now a definite proven link between your overall mental and physical health and stress. From research around the world studies have proven that having or being in good health not only makes you more resistant to stressors but can actively help the body fight off stress (I know that all the information junkies will want web sites, case studies but hey, this is a blog not a “WHITE PAPER”). Actually I will help, go to a web site called Vielife http://www.vielife.com/ and do your own research.

There are in my eyes 6 key areas to sustaining good health that can fight off potential stress.

1.    Drinking 2- 2.5 litres of water a day.
2.    Eating at least 5 portions of fruit/vegetables daily
3.    Regular physical activity/exercise
4.    Having a belly laugh each day
5.    Having a true confidant
6.    Good sleep

Obviously there are more areas such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, regular health check, awareness to ones own signs of stress etc

I know, I know, in this modern, none stop, busy, busy  world its not easy to find the time to do all the things we should BUT………………………………

AREN’T YOU WORTH IT???

]]> http://www.morpheuspd.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=10 http://www.morpheuspd.co.uk/blog/?p=7 http://www.morpheuspd.co.uk/blog/?p=7#comments Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:14:12 +0000 admin http://www.morpheuspd.co.uk/blog/?p=7 If I had a pound for every time someone has asked me, “will stress be more of a problem this year” I would not be rich but I would certainly be on a holiday right now!

There are no simple answers, as usual, but it is more than likely that people will be feeling the adverse reactions to excessive demands placed upon them,(gosh I almost sounded like someone who knows what they are on about) let me explain what that really means……

It is very likely that a large portion of the working and non-working population of the country will be suffering from greater demands placed upon them, which in turn may result in people becoming stressed because of,

1.    Economic state of the country/world
2.    Banking crisis
3.    Job cuts
4.    Wage cuts
5.    Lack of mortgage/loan facilities
6.    Uncertainty about the future
7.    Terrorism
8.    A feeling of doom and gloom
9.    The media

I could go on but these are issues that will affect everyone in one way or another. However, does this mean that the country, the world population will all be stressed? ABSOLUTELY NO!

But should we be aware and take action to prevent what might happen? ABSOLUTELY YES!

When homes, jobs, families, money are all under pressure it is inevitable that some people will be made ill and I would suggest that these figures will be increased world wide. The impact on business, at a time when they are feeling the crunch, has the potential to be crippling. For those companies that have embraced good management practices and support their staff through Occupational Health, Wellbeing initiatives, Employee Assistance Programs, Stress Training, that have and a Motivational Business Culture, to name but a few, will come through this period much more strongly than those that are still blind to the benefits of these sorts of initiatives.

Don’t allow yourselves to become tainted with the doom and gloom. Keep a positive mental attitude to the difficulties that lie ahead. Become more self aware as to your stressors and how to manage them. And make sure you look upon these challenges, as human beings have in the face of adversity before, as ways to evolve and grow, to learn and adapt and do what we humans do best…….OVERCOME.