Stress
We all experience stress at one stage or another. This catch all term is used to describe feelings ranging from mild irritation to the cause of a mental and/or physical breakdown. What 'stress is', is different for different people and what one person may regard as highly stressful will be seen by another as highly motivational.
Most of us can deal with a certain amount of stress as part of our everyday life, however living with chronic stress is physically, emotionally and psychologically very damaging.
Symptoms of stress
The physical symptoms of stress are numerous, and include headaches, muscle tension, indigestion, frequent colds and infections and a racing heart. Emotionally, we may feel frustrated, angry, depressed, anxious, feel low self esteem or worry constantly. These feelings of stress often impact on our ability to sleep, to perform at work and affects our personal relationships with family and friends.
What causes stress
The common triggers of stress are being under lots of pressure, facing big change, worrying about something or having too many responsibilities. If you are unsure what causes you stress, it can be helpful to keep a stress diary to identify your own triggers.
It is also interesting, to consider the 80/20 rule developed by Pareto. A rule which seems to hold for many areas of life.
Consider the following and see if they hold true for you ...
80 per cent of your time is spent on 20 per cent of your problems.
80 per cent of your successes come from 20 per cent of your efforts.
and now consider...What are the 20% of your activities that cause you to feel 80% of your stress?
Coping with stress
Once you have identified what causes you stress you can formulate a plan to manage this stress more effectively. Develop your own stress busting program and include the following ...
1. Learn breathing techniques - When we’re stressed, our heart beat increases and our breathing shallows, it’s all part of the fight or flight reaction. Work on reversing this process and take time to breathe deeply. Breathe in deeply through your nose, hold for 15 or 20 seconds and then breathe slowly out through your mouth, repeat for a few minutes every morning and use when you feel stressed.
2. Learn self hypnosis - Its a simple tool which can be learned and is hugely beneficial. It can be done any time, anywhere, and is a great way to combat stress, re-energise or bring yourself out of a negative mood.
3. Eat a sensible diet - Don't overindulge in caffeine, sugar or alcohol and make sure you include plenty of stress reducing foods in your diet such as green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, avocados, cold water fish (such as salmon) and lemon balm tea.
4. Exercise - This is a great way to reduce stress as it burns off the stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline and releases powerful feel good chemicals called endorphins. Go for a brisk walk and include some aerobic exercise at least three times a week.
5. Adopt a positive mindset - Accept that there are things you cannot change and focus instead on the things that you can control. Taking control is empowering in itself. Try to be positive, look for the things in life for which you're grateful for. A gratitude diary is a great way to notice the positives...simply write down three things every day that you are grateful for.
Hypnotherapy can also help you to identify the causes of your stress and help you work towards your goals. If you would like to discuss further contact me today.
