Hi all,
As it's Stress Awareness Month, I thought it would be good to highlight some stress busters.
Life can be busy, hectic and often stressful, so it can take some intentional effort to keep ourselves feeling happy and balanced. With life being busy it is easy to just go about our normal activities and not give a thought to what we might need in order to have good wellbeing.
If we take some time and put small things in place, it can improve how we feel on a day to day to basis.
Here are some stress buster suggestions:
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Get moving – being more active; walking, getting fresh air, sunshine and daylight, all help to lift the mood. Do your favourite exercise, whatever that is and enjoy it!
Be assertive with your needs – be in control of the life that you want to lead. Try not to go along with things that you’re not happy about or keen on. It’s nice to help people and be around for friends but make sure that they accommodate you too and reciprocate your kindness.
Be connected – seek out the people that you ‘vibe’ with well and have lovely meaningful conversations with them. This helps in both good and bad times.
Carve out time for yourself – often referred to as  ‘me’ time. This is so important. Make time to do the things that you want to do that make you feel good. Time out for yourself helps you feel energised for work, cope with daily life and manage stressful situations.
Have a goal – something that you can see yourself achieving, however big or small, just keep it realistic. Keep going with it and enjoy the process. Give yourself a big well done when it’s done, whether you have accomplished it or given it your best shot.
Stay away from unhealthy habits - it is tempting to seek out something that can block our emotions and/or give us a temporary boost. However, this can make things worse if substances such as alcohol or drugs are used. Not only can they lead to a deterioration of mood, they can also lead to dependency and other related problems.
Support others – studies have found that those who help and support other people end up feeling happier themselves.
Worker smarter, not harder – don’t stress over the amount of work that you have to do. Take it bit by bit and apply yourself to one task at a time. Take breaks and move around. This will also help you re-focus when you need to.
Try and keep a positive outlook – remind yourself of any good things that happened in the day, however small, and the things that you are grateful for. Before you go to sleep try and focus on some of these thoughts.
Accept a situation/feeling/day/mood – dwelling on issues that can’t be changed can lead to more anxiety and a lower mood. Try and shift the focus to the things that can be changed and that you do have control over. This can help you feel better about situations.
So try some or all of these and let's lead more happy, balanced and less stressed lives. As always, if you're finding your stress levels are overwhelming you please seek out some extra support. You can ask asphaleia staff or find contact details for other organisations here.
All the best,
Sally 😊