Stressed out?
These days, the pace of life can be so frantic that it seems as though you spend most of your time playing catch up and have very little time to yourself.
These days, the pace of life can be so frantic that it seems as though you spend most of your time playing catch up and have very little time to yourself. No wonder many of us are stressed out.
Stress is an imbalance between the psychological and physical demands placed on a person and their ability to respond. Although a little stress keeps you on your toes, too much can have distinct physical symptoms. Too much work, tight deadlines, too much pressure from other people, family illness, family problems, money worries – all of these are common reasons why people sometimes feel they can’t cope.
If you have been suffering from any of the following lately, chances are you are under stress:
- Feeling very weepy or physically exhausted even when you haven’t done any exercise.
- Powerful unexplained mood swings.
- Feeling low and not wanting to do anything or go anywhere.
- Having little self-esteem.
- Not having much appetite but eating all the wrong things.
- Not sleeping well. Picking up every bug that goes around.
Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to help alleviate these symptoms and make yourself feel much better.
Stress-busting tips
- If you have too much to do, learn to delegate.
- Learn to cope with the stressful situations you can’t avoid.
- Recognise stress. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge it, as this will help you to deal with it effectively.
- Keep to your healthy diet. It will contribute to a greater feeling of wellbeing and self-esteem and help you to control stress-related eating binges.
- Learn to relax. Being more relaxed gives you clearer thinking, better decision making, more concentration and commitment and more enjoyment out of life.
- Take time for “you”. This is just as important as any other commitment in your life, so don’t feel guilty or selfish about it. Your psychological health is just as important as your physical wellbeing.
Stress-relieving tips
- Have a long soak in the bath with aromatherapy oils and candles
- Sit in a quiet room and listen to some soothing music for 15 minutes.
- Go for a walk
- Have a massage.
- Read a book
- Buy a joke book or watch a comedy DVD and have a good laugh.
- Have a day out and totally switch off from work or money worries.
- Wear bright colours.
- Go to bed early.
- Buy a stress-buster ball and squeeze it to death. It’ll help you to keep your wrists and hands flexible, too.
