Stress Factor Part 1

Kiet and I were having one of our “Ladies who Lunch” afternoons. Kiet is an award-winning journalist, and a fabulous blonde, and when we walk into a restaurant we usually make an enviable entrance. Waiters rush towards us vying for our attention in order to seat us at their stations. Male patrons stop conversations in mid-sentence to ogle us and female patrons jealously want to be us.

Once seated, our conversation went something like this:

KIET (frantic)
Sorry I’m late! The traffic is terrible and there are road works everywhere. The meeting was hectic and my phone keeps ringing… I need a prawn salad!

BOEFIE
Don’t worry, I only just got here too. I couldn’t get my false eyelashes on straight without my glasses on.

KIET (takes her glasses out of her handbag, puts them on)
They’re straight. We need lip-gloss.

KIET BOEFIE
I can’t cope… Saw myself on video…
…with all these… …yesterday…
…deadlines… …and nearly died…
…and then I have all these… …I did not even…
…functions… …recognise myself…
…it’s just eat and drink… …my roots are…
…all the time… …grey…
…not good for my… …have to go to…
…ulcer and… …the hairdresser…
…figure… …before I do…
…and I have no… …the shoot…
…time to finish my article for… …for a TV series…
…next week. Hectic! …next week. Hectic!

And then, taking a breath while sipping elegantly on a glass of chardonnay, she asked me: “Boefie, how do you cope with stress?” To which my obvious answer was: “I live on Planet Gorgeous, darling.”

On my way home, feeling totally stress free after our lunch, stuck in the five o’clock traffic, I started to think about it.

STRESS.

Is stress a serious condition? Is it critical? Why do so many people suffer from this? Is it a disease? Is it medical? Is it social? Do we create our own symptoms or do other people cause it? Is it inevitable or do we have a choice in the matter? Is it the champagne talking or am I suffering from a chemical reaction caused by the layers of make-up I have on?

I started to review my week in order to analyse the situation and gauge the stress levels in my life. Stress on Planet Gorgeous? Mmm…let’s see….

To be continued…
END OF PART 1