Feeling Stressed?

If you are feeling a little pressurised at the moment, for whatever the reason, there are probably several options you can take. But sometimes it pays to go back to the simple things in life.

Make sure that you are eating healthily. That is, giving your body enough nourishment in the form of good and wholesome food enabling you to function at your best. Think of it as putting high grade petrol in your tank. The cheap stuff works but the car goes more smoothly and efficiently with the right fuel.

Take your lunch break every day, away from your desk.

Make sure you are getting an adequate amount of sleep for you. One of the best ways I found to enable my children to sleep well was to establish bedtime routines. That signalled that it was night time and sleep was the order of the day. I don’t think it’s any different whatever age you are. OK, you may not get a bed time story but make sure that you don’t read heavy work papers late at night, leaving your brain whirring with information. Try not to have any work material in your bedroom. You could take a warm and comforting bath, giving your body a signal that now is the time for rest.

Just try those two things, eat well and rest well, and you may find that some of the problems become much more manageable.

Five Stress Busters!

Five ways to help keep your stress levels where you want them to be.

We all need a certain level of stress to operate on but you will know when the balance is shifting for you. It’s a wise woman who recognises that and takes approriate action. Here are a few tips you might consider trying, or reinstating into your life if the festivities have meant routines have slipped a little.

1. Smile!

Smiling does you nothing but good and it makes other people feel good too.It costs nothing and when you smile your body actually releases feel good hormones and reduces the level of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’.It helps you to feel calmer, more in control and can lower your blood pressure. Go on, smile!

2. Exercise

As well as its undoubted benefits for your general health, exercise is highly effective in reducing stress. It improves blood-flow to the brain, helping you think more clearly, that’s one good reason for taking a walk outside each lunchtime!. Exercise is also another great way to release endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers and feel-good hormones. There is also some evidence that fit people are better able to handle the long-term effects of stress.

3. Get enough rest and sleep

This doesn’t necessarily mean do nothing, which can be as stressful as a very busy life. A rest from work can mean paying more attention to your leisure time and getting the most out of it.This helps counterbalance work or everyday stress. And we all need sleep for energy, good concentration and general health. Chronic sleep-deprivation can affect your performance at work, which can be a key factor in raising stress levels.

4. Think positive!

Changing your thoughts is not as difficult as you think. Try to adopt an outlook on life that stops you seeing external events as determining your happiness. You can take responsibility for how you think. How you choose to view things is sometimes the only bit of control in an otherwise chaotic world. So make a choice to be positive. Identify the negative thoughts that creep unbidden into your mind and replace them with something much more life enhancing. It takes practice but it’s worth it!

5. Seek the help of significant people in your life

When you need to reduce the pressure in your life, you can’t always do it on your own. Think about your support network of friends and family and colleagues – people you can call on to help take the strain – whether it’s practical help or a sympathetic ear when you feel down.