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Hi Team,

Over the last couple of emails, I feel that I have covered most of the main aspects of stress and anxiety and that we should all have a much better understanding, recognition, and relationship with what causes the worry and angst in our lives. It should now be obvious that we are all living and working in a high stress environment and that the stress and anxiety we feel is completely individual and is triggered by very different circumstances, events and thought patterns. I have also outlined the many good and positive aspects of stress that play a vital role in our personal growth and development and in moving towards achieving our personal and professional goals.

"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." (Lyle's philosophy!)

The last two years have reinforced that the greatest source of anxiety is living with constant uncertainty. The most abundant feeling we are all experiencing at present is uncertainty. The situations that create the strongest form of anxiety are ones that you have absolutely no control over (for example, your kids getting COVID, food or domestic supplies not being available when you need them, vital workers getting sick and not able to perform their jobs, inflation, your superannuation fund declining in value etc. etc...)

James Clear has a few tips and tricks he recommends that can help to reduce anxiety created by the uncertainty and situations we cannot control. He advocates the following strategies that can help to clarify and quantify things and help you to get a grip on the anxiety and stress surrounding them.

• Measure and quantify "it". Getting a clear understanding of the size and scope of the problem is the first step towards acceptance and knowing how serious the problem is.
• Make a plan. Breaking an issue down into smaller parts and coming up with a plan to deal with each part is a positive way to reduce the uncertainty of the bigger issue and the stress it is creating. 
• Keep a daily diary or journal.  Writing down your thoughts and plans gets your worries out of your head and mapped out in front of you.
• Develop good habits/routines and stick to them. Having positive structure in your life reduces uncertainty and keeps you moving forward each day.
• Take action. Stepping up and doing something each day makes you feel good and helps you to move towards your goals one day at a time.
• Be creative. Studies have shown that creative activities (cooking, writing, music, reading etc.) actually reduce a person's cortisol level and are a positive way to reduce your level of anxiety.

"When you change the way, you look at things the things you look at will change." Wayne Dyer

For me a daily activity that ticks all these boxes is gardening. Spending time in the garden and being with nature has a soothing effect and helps me to think through any current issues or challenges.

Okay that's enough about stress, I promise!