Stress Beaters.

they feel they are always being interrupted, corrected or ignored, the conversation will go nowhere. The next time you are talking to someone, think about how the river is flowing. If it is being held up, is it your fault? If the other person is doing all the talking, listen to what they are saying. Do they have a problem they are desperate to get off their chest, or are they just monopolizing the conversation? If you have to walk away from bores or people who talk non-stop, remember that they stopped the river, not you.
Franklin D. Roosevelt said that as American President he often felt no one listened to what he said at social functions. To demonstrate this he would sometimes greet guests with the words 'I murdered my grandmother this morning.' Invariably the response was one of smiling approval. However, one day he said this to an attentive listener who replied, 'I'm sure she had it coming to her.' After this, the conversation flowed.
•Think of a conversation as a river and go with the flow. Don't put up dams to everything that is said to you and learn not to interrupt so much. Then everyone will get more out of the time they spend talking to you, including yourself.

Have children, not accessories
Raising children is one of the most satisfying yet stressful things anyone can do. I see many parents who bring their children to me saying they are worried about their development, attitude, schoolwork or a hundred other things. The startling point about almost every one of these consultations is that within five minutes it is obvious that it is not the child who has the problem - it is the parents. Gently suggesting this produces reactions ranging from acceptance to hostility, but it is not my job to pretend something is not happening when it is in front of me. There are certain key points that arise repeatedly:
One or both parents have missed opportunities earlier in their lives. They constantly regret this, and use their children as a way of achieving what they could not.
They view their child's work or sporting abilities purely in black and white — there is no room for the average. There is nothing more soul-destroying for a child of any age who is trying their best than to be told, 'You've got to do better.' Just as your best is good enough for you, so your child's best is good enough for them.
A previously happy relationship between parent and child is soured beyond repair because the parent is constantly putting the child down. There are three other 'Es' apart from education that bring out the best in children — encouragement, encouragement and encouragement.
Understandably, we all want the best for our children but most of us do not put academic achievements ahead of everything else.

128
129