Getting Outside Help

Abstract

Having identified your stressors and your stress signs, you can use some of the coping strategies I have described so far. However, it is not always easy to cope with stress alone and sometimes we all need to seek the help of others to resolve our problems. For many this is a major barrier. Our tough-minded culture does not allow us to talk to other people easily, particularly to our colleagues or supervisors and sometimes even to our friends and relatives, for fear of being seen as weak or inadequate. So we keep struggling until we are ill, when we feel it is legitimate to go to the doctor. It is important to realize that a lot of unnecessary distress can be avoided and illnesses prevented by enlisting simple help, perhaps just by talking things over with someone.