In our Feel Good Forties class discussions we have been talking about stress and how we can better manage this in everyday life.
Stress is an inevitable part of life. The ups and downs are part of how we live. Sometimes with too much on our plate. It’s one of those things, just like cake, chocolate or wine, that we can have too much of and it leaves us feeling a bit on the bloated, irritable, cranky side.
So many things contribute to stress in our lives. Our work, our families, the community we live in or work in, the traffic on the drive into work, sleep disruption, deadlines, moving or even decorating the house, getting married (or divorced), food, children, relationships with friends and family, big family gatherings, Christmas, holidays. All contribute to stress in our lives.
Not all of it is avoidable, and much of it we invite in (who’s going to cancel Christmas?!)
However, it is worth looking at all you have on your plate, and deciding whether any of those things can go!
So why is it a problem?
Too much of it can cause us to feel:
Snappy
Anxious
Quick to anger
Unable to concentrate
Driven to eat sugar
It can cause:
Insomnia
Tight chest
Jaw clenching
Tummy pain
Why does it do that?
Stress causes the release of adrenalin and cortisol into the blood stream. These hormones speed up our heart, increases our blood pressure, shut down our digestion, tell the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream, tense the muscles, and shift the blood away from internal organs into order to prioritise the lungs and the heart and muscles.
So, it’s important to regularly de-stress
Living with those physical symptoms long term is no fun, and detrimental to our health in the long term. It’s really important to add in activities that help you to relax and restore your mind and body. To an extent this will be different for everyone, but here are some ideas that work for us and our clients
De-stress yourself with
A bath
Regular massage
Early bedtime
Meditation and mindfulness
A good book
A belly laugh with good friends
Schedule in 'idleness'
Time alone in peace
Time out with friends
Music
Real conversation
Art or sculpture or looking at beautiful things
Getting your nails done
Planning a holiday
Time out in nature
Yoga or exercise
7 hours or more of sleep
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