Action: What exactly is causing you the stress? How much of it is within your control and what can you realistically do about it? Discard all the aspects that aren’t directly relevant to your workload, such as problems at home, and focus on what positive action is required to get the job done efficiently.

Emotional: You’ve pictured the worst; now look at it from the other angle. By interpreting your situation from the eyes of an optimist, however cock-eyed it might seem – you can at least minimise those heart palpitations and belly butterflies.

Acceptance: Once you’ve considered the ups and downs of the situation you’re in – deal with it. You know what you can and must do; you know that there’s precious little you can do about it. Instead of wishing you could, just accept you can’t. It will help you concentrate on the aspects that you can work on. If you experience stress on a regular basis, other than seriously considering a different job, you can take the following precautions to help you manage stress if not erase it altogether.

Stress diary
The problem with stressful situations is that you’re so preoccupied with your present predicament – you rarely stop to think you’ve been here before and dealt with it quite well in the past, thanks very much. By recording details of your stress, you will be better equipped to assess the cause, effect and, ultimately, find a solution. Soon you will be able to see a pattern of stress, one that helps you achieve and the type that drags you down, ones that regularly cause you trouble and those that happen only as a result of certain eventualities, allowing you to apply the positive lessons to your present crisis.

Job analysis
There’s nothing that brings on greater stress than work overload. Why have you got so much on? Is it that you work too slowly or inefficiently – or is your boss simply taking advantage of you by handing you the work of two women? To do a job to the best of your abilities, you need to fully understand what is expected of you. Nobody is asking you to be a jobsworth that won’t budge from the rulebook, but are you actually getting any praise for going the extra yards? Chances are your boss doesn’t know and should your efforts come to light, will question your leadership skills – why didn’t you delegate, commission or simply ask for help? Remember, martyrs at work are more likely to be taken advantage of than revered.

Performance planning
This method helps you assess where you stand and where you go from here. Practical contingency planning combined with mental preparation ensures you are fully prepared to handle any situation and eventuality that may realistically occur. As a result of seeing your place in the big picture, you will have the confidence of knowing you are as well prepared for what lies ahead as possible. This is all you can do – the rest is qué sera, sera…

Positive imagery
Your mind is responsible for creating stress. Just as easily as it can inflict itself upon you, you can convince it that things aren’t as bad as it imagines. Deep, relaxing breathing and calm, comfortable imagery are proven ways of allowing adrenaline to disperse from your body and reduce stress. Forget what others might say or think – as long as you know it’s not the end of the world – you can get on with the job at hand with peace of mind.