Dealing with stress - how to balance work and life

Helen O’Callaghan talks to five people in highly pressured jobs and lifestyles about how they manage their work/life balance.

RACING heart, trembling limbs, colliding thoughts — the stress response is hardwired into us and though we don’t have to battle the elements or confront wild animals for food, there are plenty of other dangers today.

So says positive psychology trainer Brenda Roche, who runs stress management programmes in workplaces. Roche believes stress is prevalent today because of psychosocial issues — deadlines, relationship problems, traffic, money, long hours and multi-tasking.