Stress!
- What is it?
- What does it look like?
- How does it manifest itself?
- How do I know I have it?
- How can I manage it?
We sometimes recognise others are stressed and then don’t recognise this in ourselves. Whether you feel stressed or not, prevention is just as important.
Let me ask you this question.
Do you make time for fun and relaxation every day?
YES – NO
If you answered no then here are some tips I would like to share with you which you might find useful.
- Set aside relaxation and leisure time – this can include time just to rest, either our body or our mind, or both. We often leave ‘us’ to the end, but this is about putting ‘us’ first. We need to nurture ourselves, recharge our batteries – this is a necessity and not a luxury, and sometimes we need to convince ourselves of that, particularly when we have so many deadlines and priorities in our lives
- Do something that brings you joy every day – and yes, I said every day, not once a week, or when we remember or feel like it. Sometimes it’s hard to think about what does give or bring us joy. Firstly, ask yourself the question, carefully think about the answer, and once answered diarise this activity, even if it’s just 5-10 minutes each day. Sometimes it can be a good idea to go the same ‘quiet’ place, this may be a room in your house or a place to walk to or at
- Introduce laughter into your life – bring back your sense of humour particularly if it’s been waning of late. It’s true that laughter is the best medicine and releases endorphins to give us that happy feeling. Try and laugh at yourself, sometimes we can be guilty of taking ourselves much too seriously
Taking charge of our lives and creating a positive attitude can help us reduce stress so easily by carving out time in our day for US.
Remember the best destresser is to nurture you by taking care of your needs first!