Six Tips for Thriving on Positive Stress and Avoiding Distress

I’ve just put down the telephone after a twenty minute call with a potential client. That call - which she initiated and wanted - happened after ten days and three cancellations. She apologised and said, “We are so busy - I never stop and even finding time for a call is difficult!”

In this age of change and stress and being ‘on the go’ the whole time, how do we help people to develop resilience - that ability to thrive on positive stress and avoid distress? How do we manage the situations that create stress (lack of control, ambiguity, feeling overwhelmed by demands etc) and recover from these with motivation and a sense of well-being?

Resiliency experts suggest that people are helped by a particular pattern of attitudes and skills that helps them to survive and thrive under stress. These relate to commitment, control and challenge.