But this catalyst will not materialise out of thin air - it has to be sought. Even those who have family, friends or caring colleagues around them invariably find they can receive more help from a totally objective, neutral person. There is less inhibition to open up to someone who is in no way involved in your life, and there is probably less embarrassment than talking to someone who knows us well. It should be remembered that organisations such as The Samaritans, The British Association for Cancer United Patients, Cruse, Families Anonymous, London Lighthouse and Relate, to name a few, have offered tremendous support to those experiencing distress. Carer groups have given invaluable support to those endeavouring to care for the severely disabled or terminally ill.
Stress is part of everyday life.
Everyone needs to face challenge in order to get as much out of life as they can. The danger is that some challenges are more difficult than others to handle or overcome. If these challenges are not dealt with, they can cause high levels of negative stress - or 'distress' as it is known. The past few years have seen deep levels of concern being expressed concerning stress in the workplace, by such bodies as the CBI, the Department of Health, The Health and Safety Executive and the Trade Unions, let alone the individuals experiencing it, at the high cost of stress in both financial and in human terms. Where counselling services such as Employee Assistance Programmes operate in the larger companies such as The Post Office, Zeneca and Whitbread, very positive results have been logged.