Managing Stress

We all know that feeling.. too much stress! For some it looks like sleepless nights, for others migraines, others again it looks like poor skin or low libido. Long-term stress is killing us, it’s taking our happiness, our health and our kids! So what do we do about it?

Stress is actually not all bad! In and of itself it is a necessary part of life that can enhance our focus, motivation and way of living. But most of us don’t live with the moderate levels of stress we are talking about. The majority of us live with levels of stress taking us up into the danger zones.

One in 14 adults in the UK (7%) say they feel stressed every single day ( CIPHR). 74% of people in the UK stated they have at times been so overwhelmed with stress they are unable to cope (Mental Health Foundation and YouGov).

So what do we do about the S word! Do we ignore it? Hoping it will go away. The truth is living with high levels of stress continuously does great harm to your physical body as well as your mental health. Whilst there are often small things we can do to eliminate stress - like looking at our lifestyle, stressors, relationships etc we have often forgotten an important factor in stress is what we do to take care of ourselves - to REST & REPLENISH!

After a stressful day, what do you do to rest and replenish? When stress is high - there is a concoction of stress hormones flowing through your body such as cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. In order to become good at managing our stress levels, we need to look at how we rest and then replenish after a stressful day or event.

Make a list of what rest & replenish looks like for you. Things such as devices, zoning out in front of the TV or drinking alcohol are not ways to rest and replenish as our minds are still stimulated and our brains are working hard to take in all that’s on the screen. With alcohol whilst it may give you a relaxed feeling in the moment, it actually raises levels of cortisol and alters the brain’s chemistry. With cortisol being released researchers have found links to habitual behaviour - so everytime I begin to feel the sense of stress - my body craves alcohol for a perceived relaxed state!

REST is an activity that allows your stress hormone levels to drop. Things such as meditation, mindfulness, a warm bath, a gentle stroll, an early night, a daytime nap are all ways our body rests.

REPLENISH meaning to fill up again, is what we do after we have rested. To replenish may look like taking yourself away to a quiet room and reading a good book with your favourite coffee. It might look like a meal around the table with connection to the ones you love or an evening looking at old photos or listening to songs from your past. It could look like a run or walk in nature or coffee with a close friend.

We have become a society so good at living stressed but not so good at resting and then replenishing.

Looking across your week - ask yourself what rest and replenish look like for me and how you can weave it into your days this week?