Stress Beaters.
walking into my surgery. As expected, she finished way down the field, but she talked about nothing else for days and positively glowed with personal satisfaction.
Alice hung up her running shoes almost immediately and put her finisher's medal away. However, she still looks at it occasionally in times of stress to remind herself of what she is capable of. The medal is hers and hers alone.
You don't have to be like Alice and struggle round 26 miles to feel a sense of personal achievement. Finding the time to read that book you have never read but always wanted to can be equally rewarding. Even in the richest and most intense relationships, we still need to have our own little victories. They make us feel good about ourselves.

Play to your strengths
If you were asked what your greatest strength was, would you be able to answer? We spend time thinking about which car to buy, what mortgage to purchase or where to go on holiday, but spend a fraction of that time - if any of it - working out our strengths and weaknesses. While this might seem a natural thing to do, few of us bother, which is a big mistake. How can we fight our stress if we don't know the weapons we already have at our disposal? We can probably mention our faults, and certainly those of other people, but not our plus points. There is a simple way to sort this out:

Personal achievements, however small, will boost self-confidence. They are yours to keep - no one can take them away from you. Make a list of them and read it regularly.

Write down all the strengths you think you have. Do not be too critical or shy. These can be anything from being a wonderful person to always remembering to put the cat out at night.
Ask family and friends the same question, telling them they must be honest. Get them to write down as many points as they can think of.
Compare the two lists and see what they have in common. Make a note of where you and others agree, and whether there are strengths other people see that you have never considered before.
Think about the areas in your life that are a source of stress at the moment. Are you neglecting to use any of your strengths or talents to improve matters? Are there any obvious odd discrepancies? If you are seen as the life and soul of the party, and yet you are walking about with a permanently

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