by Pamela Allardice
"When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity."
John F. Kennedy

Do you feel as though you are just lurching from one crisis to the next? The most important thing you can do when your life is like a pressure cooker is to learn to manage your time, and to set priorities.

You have to put yourself first. Ask yourself: Is this really what I want to put my time into right now? Am I putting my time into the people and things that matter most to me? If not, why on earth not - and what am I doing about changing it?

You may find you need to cut down on the time you spend with people whose ideas and behaviour no longer fit in your life. Using time wisely also means leaving empty space for yourself - time to do absolutely nothing, so that you allow new ideas and feelings to come to the surface. That way a crisis - whatever it is - actually becomes an opportunity to think things through thoroughly, and to explore life at a slower pace.