So there I was, sat up in bed, silently ruminating (they can’t touch you for it as long as you’re wearing a nightcap) about various subjects I could entertain you with this week, when my ‘phone went. It just got up and walked off.

Not really. That was just a figure of speech.

Unlike Neath’s Katherine Jenkins, who’s a peach of a figure. I answered the ‘phone and it was a fellah calling for a taxi. This happens occasionally as my ‘phone number is just one digit away from that of a local taxi firm.

As he was calling at such a late hour, interrupting me mid-rumination, I gave him a right earful – before asking him where he was, where he wanted to be taken and how much he’d be prepared to pay me.

Ten minutes later, I was dressed, in my car and on my way to pick up my first ever customer who was standing outside Sam and Ella’s Take-Away, holding a nasty-looking kebab in one hand and his girlfriend with the other.

I said, “Sorry mate. You can’t bring that unhygienic thing into my car!” So he told his girlfriend to walk home, kissed her goodnight and got in.

And it’s lucky for me he did, because he was a classical violinist, still sober enough to engage in conversation about the possible content of this week’s page. He said “Why don’t you write about Strauss!” and I said “I don’t know much about the composer of The Blue Danube.”

It turned out he still had a large chunk of kebab stuck in his mouth and what he was trying to say was “Why don’t you write about stress?” I thought that was a great idea. Well I did, once I’d calmed down.

Because I know all about stress. Not only because I’m a comedian and I’m so familiar with those last few minutes before I step on stage to entertain people, when my heart is beating slightly faster and my adrenaline is pumping and I’m wondering why I chose this way to make a living , but also in everyday life – just like most people.

Yes, lots of us suffer with stress on a daily basis. Just driving back and forth to work and being stuck in endless traffic jams, or witnessing thoughtless drivers speeding through red lights can stress us out, as can hanging around waiting for ‘buses and trains that are delayed or cancelled.

But most of us cope with these things and life’s other annoyances. It’s when we’re faced with major – and sometimes long term – problems that we find it hard to cope. That’s when it begins to affect our health, leading to high blood pressure and in some cases strokes and heart attacks.

The good news is, there are plenty of ways we can reduce stress. And I’ll be checking them in readiness for a future column. In the meantime if you want to chill out, I recommend ruminating.