A little stress is good for you, too much is detrimental to your physical and mental wellbeing. Yet, today many of us feel we are under pressure both at home and in work.

Stress

Stress is  there to  alert you to what it is you need to do to achieve more balance in your life.

workplace-stress-006Stress Management

Exercise reduces Stress:

Exercise is clinically proven to be the most important factor in reducing stress. Do you know if you exercise for twenty minutes three times a week, your feel good/happiness will increase by 10-20 per cent? In addition, your ability to cope will significantly improve; you will have a clearer head, a better outlook and be more able to keep things in perspective.

Balance between work & play

Schedule downtime to create more balance so take time for friends, partner and family and see the difference it makes when you take care of yourself, you will find yourself more able to cope and more resilient.

Well being Needs (Hobby/Interest)

Take just one hour a week for your hobby/interest, using time management you will find the time.

Keep perspective

If you catastrophise a situation, you simply create fear and more stress which can make our perception worse. Instead focus on keeping perspective and in the moment when stressed or overwhelmed remember that deep breathing helps to calm.

Attitude

Remember that most of what we worry about never happens so asking yourself; what is the worst case scenario and would you survive it? Generally, it is not so much what happens to you, but more about your response and ability to cope that really matters.  As the saying goes, ‘If life throws me lemons, I will make lemonade!’

Work/Life balance

Those with work/life balance tend to be more motivated and productive, therefore achieve that balance and remember it is good not just for you, but for your employer and family also.

Social connectedness reduces factors which cause stress

Social connectiveness makes us happy, so get involved in your community, in a club, volunteering etc and you will find you get a lot more than you give.

Management of tasks

Make a list, break tasks into manageable chunks, tick off on completion, prepare the subsequent list and reward yourself.

Value yourself – do not abuse yourself

Do less of what makes you feel bad (smoking/over drinking) & more of what makes you feel good.

Ask for help

Acknowledge your feelings if you are overwhelmed, talk to someone, and actively seek help and support. Otherwise, we bottle up our feelings and use alcohol, emotional eating, smoking or even prescription drugs to cope. A better option is to recognise the need to express some of these feelings. Remember, a problem shared is a problem halved when someone listens and allows us to discharge some of the pressure we are under. When we talk about what we are experiencing, we feel more able to cope.