In Nigeria, there is a popular cliché almost everyone is familiar with: "Water has no enemy." In other words, we all need water on a daily basis. Stress has almost become a daily dose in human history, all thanks to several obvious factors such as an increase in population (encouraging survival of the fittest), changes in government policies (affecting people’s jobs and businesses), etc. An apt scenario is the case of the cashless policy in Nigeria, where a lot of people lost their lives! Some died because they couldn’t gain access to cash for feeding, others because they trekked long distances, etc.; all these can be linked to stress in one way or another.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. As a content writer cum voice-over artist, one of the biggest "stress manufacturers" in my line of work is time. People sometimes give me projects that can take up to a week, and they want them almost the same day. My approach is simple: I break down their expectations into simple steps and share expected timelines with them. If they want the best, then patience guided by process is a necessity. However, there are certain days I just have to deliver the goods!
My number one stress relief recipe is "never work alone". Have a mentor, confidant, or friend you can share your thoughts with. There are days I meet very aggressive clients who, for reasons unknown, may want to disrupt my day. These kinds of projects have very simple requirements, but their brief may have complications (lol! Yeah, I’m the doctor here!). I have several people as mentors and friends in different spheres (let’s digress a bit: "people resources" is important; it’s not always about money, fam). On such stressful days, I just contact them (they are excellent listeners), and after having a quality conversation, order is restored to my day or solutions are proffered to my challenges.
On a lighter note, I love chicken pizza, and this box, along with a cold drink or ice cream, does a lot of wonders. As simple as this package seems, all I can say is, find your dose. This treat works wonders for me; I still can’t explain how till date.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for reading.