Most of us equate the word stress with distress. We are overwhelmed, besieged, depressed. It happens a lot around this time of year. Too much to do, not enough time to do it in – and, more often than not – not enough money to do it with. It can take the joy out of life.

Eustress is stress of another kind. It is happy stress, the kind we experience when we are doing something exciting, something we want to do, but that also adds to our responsibilities. A new job, a new project, a promotion, these all create eustress. Joyful stress, and again, there is a lot of that going around this time of year.

In both cases the secret is to take one day at a time, one task at a time and one rest at a time. Yes, a rest. We can tackle almost anything if we’re refreshed. That doesn’t mean we need a three-hour nap (although it could); it may just mean we need to change subject, allow our mind to wander. Take a walk or work on a different project – it all needs to get done, right? So, do something more mindless for a short while. Give your brain a chance to recover and then go back to your project with a different perspective. Accept that it IS this time of year and, as with all things, it will pass. Find the joy.