Author Archives: Dr Roger Henderson
Become a team player: dealing with workplace stress
Many of us have to tread a fine path when dealing with work colleagues. Ideally, we would all work at the same pace and with the same intensity. At the end of each day everyone would go home happy feeling that there were no weak …
Make ‘firebreaks’ of clear time in your working day
I meet many people who are frantically busy. They wear their diaries as badges of honour, proud to be indispensable and wanted by everyone. Every now and then they will say to me,’ You have no idea how busy I am,’ and then look puzzled …
Don’t assume you are the cause of other people’s bad temper
Recently, I was driving along a quiet country lane on a fine day, and was in a good mood. An old friend drove past me at some speed. I just had time to acknowledge him before he was out of sight, but to my slight …
Stress symptoms: understanding the signs and symptoms of stress
What are the symptoms of stress? And how do you know when your stress symptoms mean you need further help? Dr Roger Henderson, GP and stress expert, has the answers.
Develop affirmations
There is a quotation I have been aware of almost every day since I was 15 years old. It has sustained me through all the exhausting times in my life… and is attributed to the 30th American President, Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge stated: ‘Nothing in the …
The 50-minute rule
More and more of us eat lunch at our desks and stubbornly refuse to take anything resembling a break during the working day. This, Dr Roger Henderson argues, is counterproductive. Taking a time out every hour will boost your wellbeing and productivity.
Zap that phone
Edgar Degas is one of my favourite artists. At the turn of the century he dined with a friend who had just had a new invention installed – the telephone. Degas’ friend had arranged for someone to phone him during the meal, and when it …
Use trigger pictures
A middle-aged woman came to see me suffering from symptoms of severe stress. As long as her work was not mentioned she appeared to be in control … but whenever she thought about work she showed all the classic signs of stress. Her problem was …
Use your ear – drive it too
The M6 motorway is not the best place to hold a consultation. If the patient and the doctor are 50 miles apart it becomes even more difficult. I have been rung on more than one occasion by busy executives who were scheduled to see me, …