Coping and overcoming stress
April has been stress awareness month. Looking across social media, apart from the initial rush at the start of the month it has been relatively quiet in updates, support and promotion. Whilst I do think it is useful that there are designated months for certain topics, the promotion is short term whilst the strategies needed to cope and prosper take more time to bed in.
Is stress bad and why should we worry about it? Well, NICE estimate that at least 13.7m working days per year are lost in the UK due to stress, depression and anxiety related illnesses. This could be anything up to a £28 billion cost to the economy at a time when we need to maximise production.
Where does stress start. Busy executives may well be stressed but still feel the need to work. This stress can then permutate downwards to all workers like a waterfall effect. By working with busy professionals, I have been able to help stop the waterfall and it has been a key driver with some of my clients coming to see me.
What are the common signs of stress:
- Impatience, anger and irritability
- Anxious, nervous or feeling overwhelmed
- Inability to switch off and uninterested in life
- Unable to enjoy yourself and a loss of sense of humour
Work related stress is on the increase, especially with hybrid working now the norm and technology improvements continually blurring the lines on a work/life balance. There are a few tips that I use and talk through with my clients that can be used as initial coping mechanisms.
Box Breathing. It is a technique that can be learnt and practised but once mastered is a great enabler of helping you calm yourself and bring your stress levels back under control.
Increasing intake of vitamin B & vitamin D. Getting outside in the sun for even 20 minutes will increase your vitamin D levels considerably. Vitamin B can be found in leafy green vegetables, eggs, mushrooms and legumes.
Exercise. It could be just a daily walk for 30 minutes or dancing with your children at home. Even mowing the lawn is a start. Anything that makes you active and gets your heart rate moving.
Don’t “Bad Snack”. Resist or reduce sugary snacks and gradually reduce caffeine post 2pm. By reducing anything that gives you short term boosts will help to keep your blood sugars more balanced.
Find Your Quiet Space. What makes you happy, what allows you time to think rationally and what makes you smile. Creating time for you will produce positivity that will help you focus better on the things that make you stressed.
There are many other techniques that I use that utilise both my nutritional training and psychological approach to helping clients get back control of their stress levels, improve their wellbeing and create their new them.
If you would like to know more about how I can help you then book your FREE 30-minute Health Assessment via my home page.
