Rlchard Pettlnger

SIMON, S.B. (1992) CHANGE YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW. WILEY

The view taken here is that stress is best managed by identifying and attending to all those aspects of life and work that cause pressures, blockages, barriers, and dysfunction. Each of these may be physical or psychological. The approach requires that individual responsibility is taken for stress management – if the job is bad or stressful then leave; if the job is good but the organization and management style are poor, then change employer.

Individuals need to recognize where their priorities lie and adjust their work and non-work lives accordingly. This is so that the achieve- ment of priorities in the wider context of life is possible. A key part of the Simon approach is that stress is only manageable when people recog- nize and understand what they want from life, and take steps to integrate

108 STRESS MANAGEMENT
these elements with each other. They must take active individual responsibility for removing the stressors by identifying the places in life and work where ‘‘something has to give.’’ In order to be contented, satisfied, and fulfilled, areas of life and work where people are ‘‘stuck’’ have to be changed, and the consequences managed – whether this affects income, lifestyle, family or social relations.

The book is also very strong on the relationship between organiza- tional, institutional, occupational, and lifestyle change and stress, and especially the sudden perceived comfort of the present that becomes apparent once it is clear that, for whatever reason, change has to take place.