Stress & Worry

12 April 2021, 10:04 am
Speciality Bites by Paul Hargreaves

No doubt for some today is the day they have been waiting for, as they can finally open their businesses for the first time since Christmas, but for others who have created a new business or adapted an existing business model, it may be a time of worry. Will what I have done during the past few months continue to work as things become slightly closer to normal? Either situation may create stress and worry.

You may be in a stable situation and still spend time worrying. Certainly if you are working for an independent food retailer, business for most has never been better than the past year, yet I guarantee that there are those in a good personal situation that are still anxious as it is a disease of our western mind. Look at that word – dis-ease – a lack of ease about our situation. And it is this dis-ease that can frequently cause disease and illness.

It is healthy for us to learn how not to stress and be anxious. How do we do it? How do we learn to be content? A few things here that I have found helpful:

    • Ask the question – how important will this thing (the ones that is causing stress) be in 3 months’ time?  Often, not very, which relieves the stress.
    • Be thankful. Even in difficult times we have much to be thankful for. Make that a practice every day, find 3 or 4 things to be thankful for.
    • Learn to enjoy the present moment – I find a little breathing-based meditation helpful.
    • Connect with nature – go for a walk, especially now spring has sprung. Yesterday I walked by some fields with new-born lambs. It is difficult to be stressed whilst watching them.


There are chapters in my new book, The Fourth Bottom Line, about thankfulness, contentment and connecting with nature. Now available from the major book stores on-line to pre-order: WHSmith, Waterstones, Amazon.

Have a great, stress-free week. After all, we cannot control many circumstances, but we can control how we react to them.

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