On Stress

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I do not like to hear people declare that they "thrive on stress". Because I used to be that kind of person, and believe me, it wasn't true. Perhaps when I believed it, waaaay back at the beginning of my working life, I didn't really know what it was. Perhaps.

Over the past two years I have learnt that I do not deal with stress very well. It makes me teary. Emotional. Not a good look in the workplace. I have come up with various strategies over time to combat it, including but not limited to:
- chocolate
- alcohol
- junk food
- smoking
- swearing
- crying in the toilets

Sadly, each of these are only short-term solutions (though I'm ashamed to admit I resorted to chocolate this afternoon). Long-term, I believe I have to build up something I like to call Mental Resilience. I borrow this term from the army - can't remember now where exactly I heard it, but I know Bear Grylls is always on about it. And if Bear thinks it's a good thing, then it's ok by me.

It's not about becoming hard. It's about being able to deal with things as they come at you without falling to pieces. No more blubbering mess.

Problem is, short of volunteering to go on a fitness boot camp, I have no idea how to toughen up. If I figure out how to get it, I'll let you know.