National Stress Awareness Week
I want to share some thoughts about National Stress Awareness Day, an International Stress Management Association (ISMA) initiative to shine a spotlight on workplace and personal stress.
We all experience stress at some time in our lives. In fact, busy lifestyles and the competing pressures of work, family, childcare, friends and other responsibilities can leave many of us feeling a certain amount of stress most of the time. It’s something that I struggle with often and see in my clients every day.
Sometimes a little bit of stress isn’t such a bad thing: it can galvanize us into action and motivate us to make change happen, helping us recognise what we want in our lives by shining a light on what we don’t want! But too much stress can have a negative effect on both our physical and mental health, leading to symptoms like sleeplessness, headaches, weight gain (or loss), as well as more serious conditions such as anxiety, depression, skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, stomach problems and even heart disease.
It’s not always possible to control the things that trigger stress in our lives, particularly when it’s caused by external factors such as pressure at work. Which is why it’s so important to find a way to manage our own stress levels, so we can make sure that those negative feelings don’t spiral out of control and recognise when to get help if they do.
As a single, working mother with my own business, teenage daughter, a cat and a dog, stress is something that I have to manage on a daily basis! Personally, I would never underestimate the power of a cup of coffee (preferably with cake) and a good chat with a friend to reduce stress levels, even when I want to hide, but real self-care requires consistent time and effort. From taking vitamins to moving my body and regularly getting a good night’s sleep, you can find out more about my tips for self care here.
Some of the other steps I take to try and keep stress to a minimum include practising breathing exercises, as the simple act of taking slower, deeper breaths helps me to feel calmer and more relaxed.
