Minimise Stress With These Top Ten Lifestyle Tips
We all suffer from stress from time to time, and this lead-up to the festive season is one of the prime stress triggers. Guest blogger, Sarah Davison, recently shared her top 10 lifestyle tips for combating stress and its less-than-pleasant side effects. We hope you enjoy reading the article as much as we did!
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As the relaxing effects of our summer holidays wear off, and we are back into the hurly burly of our lives, so our stress levels creep up again. When stress becomes chronic, we overwork our adrenal glands, by being in a constant state of fight or flight. In the long term, this can do real damage to our systems, pushing us into adrenal fatigue, chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, hormonal dysfunction and burnout.
MENTAL & EMOTIONAL CAUSES OF STRESS
Stress is when a person perceives that demands exceed their ability to cope – so a mental thing…which is where homeopathy is great: It can address the underlying mental or emotional cause of stress – different for each person. For one of my clients, who came to me close to burnout – physically and emotionally – the underlying cause was the loss of her two closest friends – one to cancer and the other to a falling out. Once the remedies had helped her with the grief and sense of loss, her energy returned and she was able to engage with life again. Other causes could be perfectionism, an inability to say no, a stressful relationship, bullying at work, shock etc.
LIFESTYLE FACTORS & TIPS
What doesn’t get talked about as often is all the lifestyle habits that exacerbate stress levels. And we often slip into these habits as a way of dealing with stress, creating a vicious cycle. Here are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to manage the effect of stress on your body and mind, while you work out and address what the mental and emotional origins are.
- Reduce or eliminate any form of caffeine, sugar, sweetener or refined carbohydrate. The lift they give you is false energy, which puts even further strain on your adrenals. When really tired, it is easy to self-medicate with these foods. Breaking the spiral can be difficult, because sugar is more addictive than cocaine. But you will feel SO much better when you do. Replace sweet or carby snacks with protein or fat snacks e.g. cheese, avocado, nuts, salami etc.
- Breakfast is essential – Stay away from sweet, carby breakfasts, going more for eggs, meat, fish e.g. smoked salmon and whole-wheat bread.
- Reduce or eliminate other adrenal stimulantse.g. cigarettes and spices
- Stay hydrated. Adrenals suffer otherwise. And room-temperature water is preferable, because cold water is a diuretic.
- Make time for something you get pleasure from, that is not high- octane.
- Take gentle, enjoyable exercise. Not running, spinning, gym workouts or exercise you don’t enjoy: They all fatigue the adrenals even more, though they may you feel better temporarily.
- Allow at least 60′ wind-down before sleep without any kind of screen or fast music.
- Include a warm bath or a shower in your wind-down.
- Be asleep by latest 11 pm, if not earlier, irrespective of what time you will get up the next morning.
- Sleep 7 am – 9 am is the most regenerating for the adrenals. If you can manage it only a couple of days a week, that’s better than nothing.
Sarah Davison (BSc Hom, LCHE, MARH, RHom, Dip Psych, BA) is The Coaching Homeopath, who helps women go from stressed to best. She is a Mum, and has 20 years’ experience in the corporate world, in sales and innovation and creativity. She consults face-to-face from Central London and via Skype for those further afield.
cushion the impact provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners. We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today. Your personal service awaits!!
