Stress Less This Silly Season
Have you ever wondered what triggers your stress? Have you even wanted to find a positive way to respond to stress? Katrina Thorpe takes us on a journey to find out what pushes our buttons and why.
When it comes to understanding stress, you need to first find out who or what causes it. Some stress you can’t disregard but you can learn to manage how you react; make time for activities you find de-stressing; and take an objective approach to triggers in order to create more balance.
Seek help if you feel your stress levels are too high and affecting your health and wellbeing. There are numerous tools available and while it is ultimately up to us to change our mindset towards stress, there are techniques you can learn to help you reframe your mind.
Internal stress from thoughts and feelings which upset you are sometimes overwhelming but if you can learn to manage the way you think or feel about your stress triggers, it can help you feel calmer. We all have the ability to control our thoughts but it is our expectations, fears, opinions, attitudes and reactions that are harder to change, but not impossible; and small mindset changes can make a big difference to how you cope.
Write down some of the things that make you feel stressed. Think about how you could react differently, turning it into a positive thought for you or deciding if you can avoid the stressful situation in the first place. Try renaming the stress by how it makes you feel. Is it a feeling of frustration, sadness or being overwhelmed that triggers particular types of stress?
Naming it can sometimes help you control or manage the problem in your mind, or you might decide to remove some of the simple things that cause the stress before they happen. Stress is very personal, only you know what triggers it and how it affects you. Some of the best ways to achieve balance are easy to access but you have to find what works for you. Here are my top five tips for de-stressing.
1. Meditation can be very effective in calming the mind. Find the right type for you by trying an app or taking a meditation course or class.
2. Exercise with activities you enjoy to calm the mind and maintain the body. Keep in mind that strenuous exercise can be read by your body as another form of stress. So choose passive exercise when you are feeling under pressure.
3. Choose a nurturing, slow and gentle aromatherapy massage or treatment to calm the body and mind.
4. Make time to catch up with friends and family who love and value you. Sometimes sharing a problem or spending time in good company helps.
5. Your environment impacts your wellbeing so surround yourself with nature. I call it ‘Green Therapy’ and research shows that nature is the new black when it comes to reducing stress. Have pot plants in your home or workplace for a calming effect.
Stress is part of life, it’s not always about resolving it, but managing it and the impact it has on your wellbeing. Once you take the first step in recognising and understanding what triggers your stress you can then learn how to deflect it, counteract it and manage it. Wishing you a stress-less summer and a new approach to manage stress you can’t avoid.
