Know your 'stress curve'

Glen: The stupidest of things can wind people up, can't they? It mentions in a report here about computers crashing, you can't get your emails when you get home or from work - you know, the whole computer network's gone wrong. People start getting stressed because they can't access their information. I mean, that shouldn't affect us, should it really? We should just take it in our stride?

Judi: Absolutely. But I'm not going to say that you can't because, if my computer crashes, I feel my stress levels just shoot from virtually nothing to off the scale. And the big problem is that we see that as somewhere in our mind - not our logical mind, but our emotional mind - as being a matter of life and death.

Judi: You hear people say, 'Oh my God, I'm going to get killed! Oh my God, this can't happen!' And that's the problem: our perception has become flawed; we can't get it into context. We're so dependent on these things. You know, you see people all the time with the Blackberries and it's like, 'What did I do before them?'

Glen: Is that adding to their stress, though, having a Blackberry - emails at home with you, on the train, on the bus, whatever - is that adding to the stress?

Judi: I have to say it does. Not with everybody. I think there's some people that it actually helps them relax - not a lot - but it's very important to look at what's called the 'stress curve'. There are different levels that cause stress, different levels of pressure that people will thrive on or actually become reduced to rubble under. Some people can deal with very, very high levels and they prefer to work like that, and good luck to them. If they want to sit there with their laptop - even in bed I heard the other day somebody was sitting there...

Glen: Oh nice!

Judi: If that suits them, that's fine. But that's not for everybody. I think some people would rather have a low pressure life, relax and chill out. So it's good to know what suits you, as well. If you're happy with those high levels, then take your Blackberry and whatever, you know, all the time, but I think it's good to diagnose what suits you and what doesn't. That shouldn't be driven by the people that you're working for, it should be your choice.

Glen: What is interesting - I read this the other day in one of the broadsheets - is that a record number of people are looking to get out of the rat race, leaving the UK, if you like, and seeking a quieter, more fulfilling life elsewhere, in the sunshine or wherever. We all get caught up in this rat race, which adds to stress, doesn't it?

Judi: It can do and again, like rats, some rats thrive, other rats don't thrive. I mean, there are people that I would totally not advise to go away. I have friends, they all went to France, you know everybody wanted to - I called it the Gerard Depardieu syndrome because they all wanted to go and dig wells in France and live in little cottages and things like that. And some people went out there and they loved it, but there are people - and I think I'm one of these people - who would get very bored with that kind of life.

Judi: It's very much this idealising the thought that, if I had nothing to do, I wouldn't be stressed. That is untrue. A lot of people, when they haven't got enough stimulus, it's not that they get stressed, but they get all the same symptoms of stress - they get very upset, depressed, get a new symptom of illness going around... So again it's getting the balance right. Going from being much too busy to doing nothing can cause you problems. It's good to find some kind of half way.

Glen: It's striking a fine balance, isn't it really?

Judi: Absolutely, that is individual, it suits you. You know, you can't look at anybody else and think, 'That's the way to do it.' You need to do what's right for you as an individual.