LIFE IS STRESS: MANAGE IT!

I have been off for a couple of weeks, not because I didn't miss coming here but I had some events that took my whole being with it. First, I had to attend a compulsory conference for administrators in Abuja and then, my younger sister's wedding that came up last weekend got all our hands on deck. You know, I heard someone say some time ago that if it is not stressful, then it is not worth it. Talking about stress, can we live without it? Absolutely not. Stress is part of the emotions we have to pass through as humans. Let me quickly analyse my thoughts. You must have read or heard about the popular parable of the talents. A master was traveling, so he called all his servants and handed them talents according to their capacity. Talents here could mean capital or tools. In short it is a material that can be used to earn and live. The master gave the servant five talents, the second got two and the third got just one. Prior to the sharing of the talents, he.must have probably watched them and knew that capacity to use the talents.  Then, he set out on the journey. The first servant quickly put to use the talents that were handed over to him. Before we knew it, he had made five extra talents. He must have worked his ass out. So to say the least, he endured the pains, stress,sleepless nights, the hot sun and probably the rain just to make ends meet using the five talents that he got from his master. The second servant applied learned principles to make an extra talent too. I can imagine him to be a petty trader who made little savings from his sales. He would resume his shop very early and ensure that he got his customers satisfied. All these efforts may be stressful but could be managed not to wear him down. Whereas, the third servant, in a bid not to stress himself, decided to sleep both day and night. He just doesn't want anything whatsoever to stress him. As such, he buried the only talent that his master gave him. In his opinion, talent is not worth dying for.  In the foregoing analogy, you would see that life, work, earning and stress go hand in hand. There is nothing that one does that is not stressful. There could be some amount of stress in walking, eating, and all that. Life itself is stressful. We should however, draw a line to what we can do, knowing our capacity and strength. This will aid one not to stress their life while trying to meet huge targets. Rather than not to stress at all, we should rather prioritize managing stress. For me, it feels like the moment one begins to avoid stress, then he begins to die. Yes, death is imminent for.someone who does not stress himself or work. ### LEARN TO MANAGE YOUR STRESS One thing we should learn to do in.our short time on earth while we work to make ends meet is to manage stress. Stress management is a topic that needs cursory attention. Unfortunately, many people do not pay attention to their health in the aspect of stress. For me, despite working hard, I noticed that when I have worked myself out, I do the following. **Water Therapy:** Taking water during work sessions helps to keep your body system running. This helps not allow a breakdown in the human health system. Apart from allowing for overhauling the renal tract, water energies you by refreshing your strength and ability to push further. I recommend this because it is my most cherished stress management technique. **Take A Nap:** My sister in law who works in a new generation bank spoke about a secret room within the bank where they go to take a nap when they feel stressed out, usually towards the end of the month on Mondays when customers swim to the bank to carry out one transaction or the other. You can use sleep (long or short) to ease yourself of stress. **Go See Nature:** This method may not be easily applied by Africans but the truth remains that nature has one of the best healings for stress. Sitting on a high plain and watching how the birds fly in front of their nests carrying wings of palm fronds or a prey of insects on their beak to feed their chicks can easily make you run out of your own stress. You can try it. [All images used in this publication are mine]()