Today, we know that stress can be the cause of any number of psychological and physical illnesses. Typical symptoms of stress include headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure and obesity.

I remember when I was ill as a child my mother would often tell me that it was all in the mind. Well, I guess she was very probably right.

What I find particularly interesting though is the way we individually act differently to stress. What one person finds distressing, another might find invigorating or there might even be no reaction at all.

So what is it then thats happening inside the mind that leads to different reactions?

Quite simply we create our reality inside our minds based on many different factors including our personal history, our beliefs and our values. Our 5 senses are the conduits for the data that comes in from the real world and according to scientists this data comes at us at a rate of around 2 million bits every moment of the day: I have no idea how they worked that one out but I am happy to accept it.

After all until I mentioned it now you were not aware of the air temperature around you, the clothes against your skin, the sound of your breathing, the beating of your heart. All of this information and more is being constantly monitored by your unconscious mind.

However your brain would not cope if you had to process this information at a conscious level and indeed your conscious mind can only manage between 5 and 9 pieces of information at any one time. The question then is how you decide which bits to focus on.

Let me give you a scenario from my own experience. When I was running a previous business there were a lot of external factors that at one time were impacting on the performance of the company. I had at least two ways I could deal with the situation.

I could have focussed on those external factors, over which I had, nor could ever have, control. That would inevitably have lead to frustration and increased stress levels.

A second way, and the one I chose, was to focus on those aspects of the business that I could control, which meant starting with my attitude. This immediately put me into a position of control even though that control was limited.

It was the right strategy for me because it led to me selling the company to a major public listed company. Obviously that was not the only reason for this success because you need a strong team around you; but if you, as the business leader, are not focusing on the right things then neither is your team.

This idea of control is very important in the management of stress. If a person believes they have control in a situation they are less likely to experience high stress levels.

Stress then is very much in the mind and that knowledge alone is power. In most situations you can choose to feel stressed or you can choose to take control. One persons stress can be that same persons energy, just by changing the way they think about it.