Data Base

A very nervous lady, Lily, walked into the door of AFRO and shouted, "Oh my god! Oh my god!". The AFRO staff who opened the door smiled and replied, "What happened?"

Lily always visits the AFRO centre. She has been good friends with AFRO staff for many years already. Whenever Lily wants to talk to someone, she will come to the centre.

"Look here! Oh my god! I am so ugly right now!" Lily pointed at her scalp and cried. "My hair is all gone here! You know my hair is extremely important to me!" While she was making sure that her hair was still there, she grabbed a handful of hair and it fell due to her pulling. "Look! My hair is falling again. I am going to become bald very soon!". "Clam down. It is totally not noticeable when looking from distance. Sit down and talk slowly." AFRO staff comforted her and handed her a cup of warm water.

Lily continued to chat with the staff and said "I think I am quite stressful recently. I kept looking at my smartphone all the time, checking whether there are new clients. I even forced myself to finish my lunch in five minutes to avoid missing any potential clients. I feel like I am going to become crazy!". "Wow, you are really hardworking. Then you must be earning a lot!". "I think I do quite well in the industry, but I know that many of my friends earn much more than me."

AFRO staff continued to ask, "How would you like to spend your money then?". Lily signed and replied, "I really don’t know. I had thought about buying an apartment, but the housing price is too high recently, it's impossible. But I am a frugal person and I don't spend a lot of money… Hmm…" Lily thought for a while and continued, "I noticed that I always compare myself to my friends. I think that I should earn as much as my successful friends." AFRO staff replied, "But there will always be people who earn even more than you." Lily replied, "You are right, but…" AFRO staff suggested, "You may set a goal for your earning. After you have reached that goal, the money that you earn afterwards could be considered as bonus. Then, you don'’t need to work endlessly, and you can take some rest." After a while, Lily had to leave. "I am going to the doctor, hope that I can 'save' my hair!"

Lily, like any other ordinary office workers, experiences different kind of pressure at work. However, when Lily is under pressure, she is able to notice her stressful condition and she will seek help. She can also honestly realise her true emotions and thoughts and find ways to relieve stress. Hope that everyone can find your own ways to deal with stress!