Try it yourself

OK, how did you get on?

1 - Have a look at your list. Are there some common themes? What are they?

Stress is caused by our body going into the "fight or flight" response when threatened. This is perfectly natural and is there to protect us from danger. But look at your list again and identify the threats to you physical well-being. How many are there? Look at the ones which are not physical dangers again.

2 - To reduce stress we can do things that turn off the "fight or flight" response. These can be - eating, having sex, sleeping or relaxing. Three of those options are not very practical during our normal working day. We can also use drugs to relax or change our moods - smoking or drinking for example. Go through your list again and group them into different types of stress reduction.

3 - It is not very easy to concentrate on counting our breathes is it? Our mind wanders and we suddenly realise we are no longer paying attention. Try it again and this time pay attention to what you are thinking about when you realise you have lost count, make a note of it and repeat several times. Do this for about fifteen minutes.

When you have completed the three tasks go on to the next page