SURVIVING STRESS 12,000. The number of calories consumed daily by Michael Phelps during the Olympics. The number of passports apparently lost in the post since 2001. The number of different thoughts processed, on average, each day, by the brain. However, thousands across the UK suffer from diseases associated with this complex organ.

75% of all illnesses start in the mind, most of them as a result of stress. This can lead to depression, irritability, frustration and exhaustion. According to the “Health and Safety Executive”, 442,000 individuals who worked in 2007-2008 were affected by work-related stress, anxiety or depression. This resulted in an estimated 13.5 million lost working days.

However, stress can be overcome. Bromley has much support for anxiety sufferers and there are many counselling centres across the borough. On the other hand, we can take action ourselves to reduce the anxiety we may feel. How? By associating with upbeat and encouraging friends and channelling ourselves to think of the positive in every situation, we are able to eliminate some of the stress we may have previously felt, purely because we are now viewing the circumstances from an alternative angle.

We can overcome a situation or conquer our fears by using the simple principle of “mind over matter”. Optimism allows us to feel better about ourselves or the situation we have to contend with, which previously we may have feared or disliked. In the words of author and motivator Napoleon Hill, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”