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HEALTH&FITNESS
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January14
Stress Less
By Katie Roberts
We all mak New Year’s resolutions that
eventually fizzle out – hands up if you’ve
already broken a no-alcohol vow; but this is
one pledge that we really should abide by.
Stress is a word thrown around flippantly,
but managing and minimising stress is
something positive we can and should do
for our health, relationships and career. To
start the year on an optimistic note, we asked
some local specialists about the impact of
stress on the mind and body, and advice on
what changes to make.
while helping their family to adjust to the
transition and making the adjustment
themselves.
“For some who have previously had
a career, there may be an identity crisis
along with the ups and downs of making
friendships and building up a support
network in the expatriate community.”
The competitiveness of expat life
adds to the pressure. People feel
obliged to make the most of their
overseas posting by earning more,
progressing professionally, exercising,
living a healthy lifestyle and socialising.
Y
our pulse races, the breath
shortens, blood pressure
rises and the body is flooded
with cortisol and adrenalin.
Whether it’s after a run-in with a taxi
driver, the kids misbehaving or a bad
meeting with the boss, this fight-or-
flight response is our body’s natural
mechanism to meet life’s challenges,
big and small.
Expat afflictions
Expats on international postings can
be stressed by different factors from
those in their home country. For some,
it’s a more demanding career involving
frequent international travel and late-
night conference calls.
Jessica Lamb
,
Assistant Director and Counsellor at
The Counselling Place
, explains
this it can feel impossible to manage
everyone’s expectations and that this
can put pressure on family relationships.
“Downtime can be infiltrated by work
demands,” she says, “making it hard
to switch off, relax and focus on family
activities. “Non-working spouses often
face the pressure of ‘single parenting’,