Does this sound like you? You are always on the go; you wake up feeling tired; you rush through your day with barely enough time to stop and eat; you have deadlines hanging over you; you have a never-ending list of things to do; you get home at the end of the day feeling mentally drained; you then have to deal with bills, emails, phone calls and kids and you fall into bed exhausted and with a headache - and your schedule is exactly the same for tomorrow.

If this is you, then you might be addicted to stress and wearing yourself out. Stress can make you feel 'switched on', in control and motivated. That feeling of being 'on a roll', succeeding at work or just enjoying being busy is called 'eustress' (euphoric stress) or 'positive stress'.

In a state of eustress your body and mind are 'switched on'. On the inside, your body is releasing extra adrenaline that makes your muscles tighten and become ready for action and also increases your heart beat which makes you feel excited and alert. Your body also releases more sugar into your blood, helping you to think faster and have more immediate energy. The endorphins that are released make you feel happy and block pain. Also, your body temperature increases - just in case there wasn't enough going on in your body. Eustress makes you want to say 'life is great!'

If you have been working in top gear for some time, you can literally become addicted to the rush and may have lost the ability to relax. Although being 'on the go' can make you more productive and effective, it can not be sustained forever and you will eventually burn yourself out.

You have your own threshold of how long you can sustain a state of ‘eustress’ before you 'crash' turning your eustress into 'distress'. If you don't respect your body's need to slow down and revitalise, you could be literally working yourself to death. Your aim is to maintain your eustress at a balanced level.

According to Dr Lee Burk (associate professor at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California), cortisol is a chemical produced in your body when you are stressed. An elevated level of cortisol in your bloodstream has the effect of suppressing your immune system function. A study conducted by Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D., of Carnegie Mellon University, found that people, who are energetic, happy and relaxed, are less likely to catch colds.

When you are in distress, you can still work but not at your best. You may become tempered, feel depressed, develop headaches, muscle tension, stomach upsets, have a shorter concentration span, or even become ill. In that state, life doesn't feel great - it feels like hard work.

The adrenaline has over stimulated your body leaving you feeling tense and tired. Your blood monitoring system has self stored much of the influx of sugar; leaving you emotionally flat and finding it difficult to concentrate. The eustress state that previously drove your body to feeling energised and enthusiastic has left you feeling tired, grumpy and unmotivated.

The key to working at your best and enjoying life, without burning out, is being able to turn distress into eustress - turn unproductive stress into lasting energy and enthusiasm.

So how do you do that? It may surprise you to learn that the answer is not in learning how to manage and escape stress. Instead you need to become resilient to stress and pressure, so you can expand your capacity instead of trying to reduce it, when working under pressure.

As you move through each day at work and home, make sure that you give your body and mind a rest from being 'on the go'. To keep your 'drive alive' and turn stress into energy and enthusiasm you need to take time to just stop and sit still.

Stress cannot exist in stillness. Giving yourself mental time-out is like installing a safety switch that protects your body from burnout. There is no great science to this technique, you just make sure that twice a day, for 60 seconds, you simply stop rushing around and sit still. During this time, just focus on the present moment, on the sounds and smells around you and take your mind away from whatever you think you have to do right then. If the muscles in your shoulder or neck feel tense, then gently relax them.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH

Have you noticed that your breathing becomes short and sharp when you are super-busy? Shallow breathing starves your body of oxygen making you feel tired, stressed and uptight. By taking a few deep breaths when you are under pressure, this not only reduces your stress, it also helps to calm your emotions and increase your energy.

OUTSIDE TIME

Being inside most of your day, in heated or air conditioned rooms and away from natural light, can be draining and even depressing. Break the 'on the go' cycle by getting outside twice a day for at least five to ten minutes - it's also a great way to clear your mind and stretch your legs. If it's raining, then bring a jacket and umbrella.

PUT WORK THOUGHTS AWAY

Do you run your day over and over in your head and find it hard to switch off from your work worries? If so, then practice leaving your work thoughts at work by switching off your mind. At the end of each day you could; go for a walk, go for a swim, sit outside with a cup of tea, play with the kids. or even read two or three pages of a book. There are many ways to detach from work - try a different idea each day.

Put these few strategies in place and you will be on your way to becoming more resilient to stress and pressure in both work and life.