Need Some Stress Relief in Your Life?

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"stress is a feeling of being under abnormal pressure, it can be caused by anything from increased workload, to an argument with a family member, to financial worries." - www.mentalhealthireland.ie

There was an article published in the Journal.ie that found that 80% of workers were concerned over mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety and depression. the report found that 1 in 5 felt extremely stressed about their job, 1 in 5 said stress caused them to call in sick. 33% of those surveyed said they have or are considering moving jobs because of stress.

These are frightening statistics, imagine feeling so overwhelmed in your work that you have to take a sick day to try and escape the pressure for a little while. These figures are not OK, it shows 2 things really: 1 we are not able to cope with it (which we are not supposed to, not long term anyway) and 2 the pressures that employers are putting on staff are far to great.

I have put together some natural stress relievers for you, adding one or all of these to your routine will have all the benefits...

Yoga or exercise in general offers a natural remedy that releases powerful endorphins that help you relax and feel good. Research suggests stress is exaggerated by those less physically active

Meditation is a proven stress reliever as it helps you cope with worry and anxiety and it helps you find peace of mind. Meditation can be practiced without the need for equipment, all you need is a quite corner and to be undisturbed for 10-15 minutes. There are apps available that can help you along with this, personally I find guided meditation the best, especially for beginners.

Following a nutrient dense diet of essential vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, electrolytes, aminos and antioxidants actually help the body to cope and respond to stress better.

Keeping a journal is extremely helpful by keeping track of emotions, thoughts (both positive and negative) can help you to identify your own triggers, this gives you an insight on how you can watch for signs and teach yourself to respond better. This can link in with a form of therapy called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which is immensely useful for everyday life and not just stress. In a nutshell CBT is applying a system to how you respond to certain life situations, it teaches that we have control of one thing only, and that is our Immediate Thought about a situation or event, this then triggers the emotion and ultimately how we behave after. If you are interested in CBT it is worth looking into more closely - one for another blog I think.

Stress can be defined as the bodies reaction to change that requires action, be it adjustment or response. While stress is useful and works as a form of protection for us humans, we are not designed to withstand stress for too long or too much of it all at once, which is unfortunately what a lot of us experience day-to-day.

I will leave you with one final thought: Too much stress can do scary things to our health so it is vital that we find a way to recognize it in ourselves and find better ways to manage it.

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