Jonathan Lloyd
August 2012
1. Choose
- Stress
is our subjective response to unwanted demand - so if we choose to do something
- like the washing up, shopping, or a job - it will be less stressful. Also,
remember, staying where you are is also a choice.
2. Manage
expectations - Expectation
levels are usually formed in our childhood. "You should be getting 100% in
that exam!" can set up unreasonably high expectation of self, which we
project onto others too, and are often striving for perfection or being let
down. Unrealistically low expectations can be protective but set a low-mood or
low sense of self.
3. Reduce caffeine - Caffeine
can increase our stress levels, so try to reduce your coffee and tea intake or
preferably switch to water or herbal.
4. Join in - Isolation
and loneliness can also be stressful, feeling lonely in a crowd, when you don't
choose to be can be stressful. Join into your local community, join that local
club and follow a passion with others.
5. Be time boundaried - "I
will just finish my emails" can mean working beyond what is reasonable for
us humans. Work to a certain time and then stop. How good is your work at
midnight when you have been working all day? Use some triggers to stop work -
that might be a change of clothes or shutting the car door when arriving home.
6. Learn to meditate - We
spend too many hours in "fight or flight" nowadays. Taking up yoga,
tai-chi, or simply learn some breathing exercises can bring us down into a
relaxed alpha state - which is a great state for the mind and body.
7. Eat well & exercise - Remember
diet is a four letter word. Eating authentically without stressing over your
food and engaging in meaningful exercise will reduce stress. You don't burn fat
off in a stressful state and exercise is about movement - (choose to move!)
8. Be kind to yourself - learning
to be kind to yourself and stop beating yourself up is vital to reducing your
stress levels. You can learn to go easy on all of us other fragile humans too!
9. Get help - if
you are struggling, don't be afraid to get help. Find your local counsellor at www.bacp.co.uk. It
is a sign of strength to ask for help when you need it, watch your body and it
will tell you when you need help (IBS, skin problems etc..)
10. Avoid
SMOG - are you still following rules that someone set out many years ago.
If you find yourself using Should Must Ought or Got To, ask yourself (a) where
does this come from? (b) Is it true? and (c) Is this being kind to myself?
Is everything as urgent as
your stress would imply?
Carrie
Latet
