Is your stress managing you?

In our modern world stress is a part of everyday life but not all of it is bad. Some people need stress to be productive in their work and thrive on the motivation that stress provides. Sadly though this is not always the case and all too often people become overstretched by a world of commitments, obligations and ambitions, resulting in a level of stress that can have negative effects on individual health and people€™s relationships with others.

Learn to Manage Your Stress

Stress is something that is fast becoming an excuse rather than an acute distraction in our daily lives. I can think of countless conversations that I have had with many friends and colleagues that go a little something like this €“

€œHow have you been?€
€œOh€¦pretty busy actually. Things are getting pretty stressful at work/home.€
€œThat€™s no good. Does it look like things will start to improve soon?€
€œI don€™t know. I guess so€¦..just have to wait and see€
€œYeah€¦.these things have a way of working themselves out.€

You see, people don€™t seem to mind talking about stress but very rarely do I hear of people who are effectively managing the numerous stresses in their lives. More often than not, the people who are undertaking stress management are those whose lives have already experienced some very negative effects. It€™s very sad that we use something as serious as stress as an excuse until it either goes away, or worse, gets so bad that we can no longer ignore the effect it is having on our lives. Considering the thousands of people that this condition effects each day of our lives, it is becoming more and more important that we learn to manage our stress.

5 minutes is all it takes

Whilst stress might seem like a dark tunnel with no sign of any light at the end, there really are a number of simple solutions that can help regain and maintain peace of mind. Whether you have 5 minutes or 5 days to spare we have come up with a number of ideas that you can use to find a calmer and more efficient person within.

Feed Your Body and You Will Feed Your Mind

By monitoring what you eat you can de-stress your body. A balanced diet with complex carbohydrates and protein will keep your blood sugar stable. Avoid too many refined carbohydrates and excess caffeine. Foods that are rich in vitamin B5 (eggs, legumes, fresh vegetables) and magnesium (dried fruit, nuts, seeds) can help calm the body, and antioxidant supplements such as selenium can help reverse the depleting effects that stress has on the immune system. Your body is one big organism so keeping a healthy body goes a long way to keeping a healthy mind!

How routine is you exercise routine?

Exercise is a very effective way of managing stress. For years we have known that exercise releases natural endorphines or “happy chemicals” into our blood stream and can have an extremely positive effect on one’s lifestlyle. It can help to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as decrease the risk of cardio-vascular and other lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. However, some people who are incorporate exercise into their daily routine are setting themselves up for failure which can naturally lead to higher stress levels. If you do not plan your time efficiently then a session at the gym can easily become an annoying thing that you should get done either before or after work. Plan your time at work or with family carefully so that the time that you have set aside in your life to exercise can be done for exactly that. The more of a routine you can get into with your exercise program, the more beneficial those sessions will be. That way you won’t fail to train and you definately won’t train to fail!

Time to choose another role model

People tend to create their own realities according to the environment and influences they associate with. If you work or socialise with people who constantly complain of the stress in their lives, it can become very easy for you to adopt their thought patterns. Subconsciously you may decide that stress is a normal part of life and therefore attribute any small difficulties in the tasks you undertake to this phenomenon called stress. Try to think of a work colleague or friend who gets through difficult times whilst remaining calm. Remember…the more you relax, the more you will achieve.

Master your Strengths

Be realistic about what you can achieve. It is not good telling yourself that you will achieve something if you know you haven€™t got the time or relative skills to complete it. You are only setting yourself up for major disappointment and failure. Be honest with yourself and others and realise your strengths. It is better to be successful at a smaller task and experience the joy of mastery, than to fail in an attempt to complete an unrealistic goal. Being realistic with yourself will breed positivity and this in turn will help your life run smoothly.

Spend Your Last 24 hours Wisely

Many of our stresses come from work and we often neglect the other areas of our life as a result. Ask yourself €œWhat would I do if I only had 24 hours to live.€ It is pointless to work ourselves tirelessly week in, week out, if there is no reward. Regularly answering this question will soon make it easier to switch off.