Miriam O’Callaghan

BROADCASTER I am always very reluctant to suggest tips on how to deal with stress, because people are all so different, and what works for me might not work for someone else. Obviously sleeping well, eating well and exercise are all very important in my life. But, by and large, feeling grateful in life for everything I have is my way of dealing with stress. I think that’s why I rarely suffer from stress. I feel blessed and lucky.

I am convinced that largely stems from losing my precious sister, Anne, very young to cancer, in 1995; and then my Dad dropped dead eight weeks later since that time, I just never sweat the small stuff in life. I wake up each morning incredibly grateful for my life, for my good health and the health of my children and my husband, Steve; grateful for Steve’s love and all the love in my life, grateful for just everything. I find that living with that attitude to life, every single day, is a terrific stress-buster. I am just not a worrier. Unless it’s a serious problem in life, like illness or tragedy, I never get stressed. Doing as much as you can to help others in life, who might be less fortunate, is also great for conquering stress, as you are thinking less about yourself and your own concerns.

In terms of work, as I constantly present live TV and radio shows, it can get fairly hairy and frenetic, but I always just enjoy the buzz, take a deep breath and count to 10 to calm myself if it gets particularly crazy; say ‘all will be well’ to myself and others around me, and remind myself it’s not a matter of life and death, and that I am so very lucky to be alive and well.