Is stress something you struggle to manage? I was thinking about stress management yesterday, and how misleading that term can be. The term stress management is a broad term and encompasses many key objectives that I fully agree with, but when you are stressed, it is often too late to manage that stress. The nervous system is firing on all cylinders, the stress hormones are on fire, and adrenaline is GO! This means that you only really manage your stress, when you are NOT stressed... The definition of stress that I adhere to is: Stress is the perception of the load you carry. To me, this shows clearly that stress is something that happens differently to each person. What is a challenge for one person can be the breaking point for someone else. So it's really all about how you manage the load you carry, and how you change the perception of the load you think you can carry. "It is all too much", "I got too much to do"... I am so stressed... because I have so much to do, i.e. the load is getting too heavy, and I am not coping. The key to managing the load is awareness. What is making me stressed? i.e. how much load can I carry? What is the fine line between the load being a challenge that I rise up to, and when does it become too heavy ? This is something that only you can answer. It is your life, after all, so you get to decide your limits and boundaries. I find that for me, the real stressors comes from external pressures, meaning, I feel great about tasks and challenges that I myself have created (often a creative endeveour) but as soon as I attach the tag of 'I have to do this', or even worse; 'I should do this', or 'I have to do this', and it becomes a negative factor, the load increases three fold. It's a lot like deadlines created at work, and tasks that pile up, their importance determined by someone else. We cannot escape the deadlines, or the tasks delegated to us, of course. They are there to stay. But you can manage yourself, your attitude, and if the load is too heavy, you can speak up. Not always easy, of course, as your workplace might be competetive, or high achieveing, or it is simply part of your job. Also it may be pressures at home, not work, that adds to your load. We cannot all afford full time house cleaners or chefs, after all... So start small. Become aware of how you operate, listen in to yourself. For this, I would suggest some journaling (with prompts), just 5 minutes of asking yourself a question and then answer it. Or some time-out; going for a walk outside without looking at your phone, or even some mindless coloring-in to take your mind off well, your mind. You will be surprise what happens in your brain when you focus on something else rather than the problem. Your brain starts to problem solve by itself.
And of course, why not try a 15-minute break with a chair massage at work? With this short session, we start to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which works to relax and slow down the body’s stress response. When the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, it produces a calm and relaxed feeling in the mind and body. Because our sessions are short, you will feel relaxed but not too tired and are able to go back to work straight after.  
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What is a healthy personality?Have you ever asked yourself — what even is a healthy personality? I came across this question during a course I did on psychology, and I thought it was interesting. Interesting enough to share some thoughts from the notes I made.  So what actually is a healthy personality? It's not just someone who smiles a lot or gets along with everyone. It's not someone who looks as if they “have it all together” (because let’s be honest, who really does?). A healthy personality isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being real, and still choosing to grow. In a world full of self-help advice and social media filters, it’s easy to confuse a healthy personality with being positive all the time, hustling non-stop, or trying to fix every so-called flaw. But true emotional health starts with something a lot quieter: self-awareness. The ability to know what you’re feeling, why you’re reacting the way you are, and what you actually need. From there? Self-acceptance. Not giving up or settling, but being honest about where you are, without shame. And at the same time, holding space for growth. That means learning new skills, trying new ways to handle life, and being open to change, without needing to become someone you’re not. This post explores the idea of a healthy personality, what it is, what it’s not, and how it shows up in everyday life. You don’t need to be a guru or a therapist to build it. You just need to be willing to take a look under the hood. Let’s break it down. Myth #1: A Healthy Personality Means Being Happy All the Time Let’s be real, no one is happy 24/7. A healthy personality doesn’t mean you’re constantly smiling or "good vibes only" every day. It means you’re emotionally honest. You feel things fully, even the hard stuff, without being ruled by them. It’s not about being cheerful; it’s about being real, balanced, and grounded. Myth #2: Everyone Else Has It Together (Just Look at Social Media) One of the biggest traps? Comparing your inner chaos to someone else’s carefully curated Instagram feed. Social media is the highlight reel, not the full story. It shows the filtered, polished version of people’s lives, not their self-doubt, their stress, or the work they’re doing behind the scenes. A healthy personality isn’t built for show. It’s about what happens when no one’s watching. Self-Awareness This is where it all starts. Self-awareness means knowing what’s going on inside you, your thoughts, feelings, habits, and triggers. It’s not about overanalyzing every emotion or needing to "fix" yourself. It’s simply noticing. Being able to pause and say, "Oh, I’m feeling overwhelmed," or "That reaction came from fear, not fact." When you understand what’s driving your behavior, you can respond instead of react. That’s powerful. Self-Acceptance Self-awareness without acceptance just leads to guilt and shame. A healthy personality includes making peace with who you are, the good, the messy, and the in-progress. You don’t have to love every part of yourself to accept it. It’s about treating yourself with the same understanding you’d offer a friend. From there, real change can happen, not because you hate yourself, but because you respect yourself enough to grow. Growth Mindset This is where movement happens. A healthy personality isn’t static, it’s open to learning, changing, and adapting. A growth mindset means seeing challenges as opportunities, not proof that you’ve failed. It means knowing that you’re always a work in progress, and that’s not weakness, it’s wisdom. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be willing. A healthy personality isn’t something you’re born with or something you tick off like a to-do list. It’s something you build, slowly, honestly, and with intention. It’s not about being the most positive person in the room, or pretending everything is fine when it’s not. It’s about knowing yourself, accepting yourself, and choosing to keep growing anyway. Some days you’ll feel like you’ve got it all together. Other days, not so much. That’s normal. What matters is showing up with a willingness to learn and a bit of self-compassion along the way. So the next time you wonder if you're doing okay, forget the filters and the noise. Check in with yourself. Are you more aware than you were a year ago? Are you kinder to yourself? Are you open to learning something new? If so, you're already on the right track.  Sitting All Day? Why Your Body Needs a Break |
Susy Egneus -Founder of Bodyworkz - sharing the good word on stress, calm, and how a simple chair massage can change your whole workday. 
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