Flourish in your life

A stressed out life means a stressed out you!

breathe...communicate...get fit...laugh...tell a joke...tickle someone...say no! de-clutter...add a little colour...lighten up...add life...personlise...mirror image organise...soothe the senses... write a list...light a candle...play some music...de-stress...refuge

Stress can be the cause for many health problems and disorders.  It is a normal physical response to situations that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way.  Stress is the body’s weird way of protecting you.  It is actually meant to help you stay focused, alert and motivated.  But for most of us, we see it work the opposite way and it makes everyday life and tasks much harder to cope with.

After a certain point too much stress becomes unhelpful and unhealthy and starts to cause damage to your health, wellbeing and even the quality of your life.  Stress can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and even speed up the aging process.  When you are being suffocated by too much stress it can leave you vulnerable to anxiety and depression.  The body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological threats.  When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation.  The more your body’s stress system is activated, the harder it is to shut off.

This is why you need to listen to your body when it is telling you that you are stressed, and try and reduce and minimise the causes behind it so you can start living your life without a giant wall of stress weighing you down.

Stress is becoming a part of everyday life.  It is not something that you ask for and you definitely don’t want it.  It is just a natural burden that is forced on you because of how busy you are becoming.

Today women are expected to be extremely multi talented and juggle everything that they do just to get through a normal day.  Your life may be full of many stressful elements; working a full time job, being a mother, running a household and then doing all the extra errands and duties in between you have to do, just so everyone around you is happy and surviving.

But are you happy?  If you are forcing yourself to accomplish all these duties and responsibilities without thinking about yourself in your daily routine, then the only thing you are achieving is becoming a stressed-out and unhappy person.  If you allow yourself some quality time and follow these simple and possible steps then you will be on your way to becoming a brighter, healthier and happier employee, mother and all-round person.

You are the most important person that you should be focusing on.  Without you, how would all the important jobs and tasks get done?  Who would run the house so it doesn’t fall apart?  And who would take care of the kids and pets without them running feral?  If you don’t take care of yourself who will be there to put you and all the other pieces back together?  Making sure you are happy, healthy and de-stressed should be your number one main priority.

Flourish YOU

BREATHE

Obviously breathing is a must but taking the time to breathe correctly when you feel that ‘stress wall’ fall on top of you is essential.  Taking a strong deep breath is your immediate defense against stress.  Try taking a slow deep breath right now!

“When I am feeling stressed or upset about something, I stop and close my eyes and then I breathe in deeply through my mouth and out slowly through my nose three or four times,” Mandy explains.

“I feel fantastic after and my mind feels a lot clearer, I tell my clients to do the same when they are in my salon.”

It actually relaxes the body and makes you feel fresh and fabulous.  If you get into the habit of deep breathing every time you feel stressed, you will create a cycle that will reduce stress from being able to take over you.

COMMUNICATE

Talking about your feelings to a friend or even your pet is an amazing way to release stressful emotions.  Getting it off your chest will make you feel lighter as you will slowly chip away at the wall of stress.

Mandy says her clients feel comfortable talking to her about their feelings and problems.

“My clients know that whatever they tell me is safe between us both,” she says.

“I’m here for them to listen while they vent, as I know how important it is for one on one time.”

If you find it too personal to expose all your feelings and thoughts to someone else, starting a journal and writing everything down will have the same impact and this way, you will be able to close the book and seal it shut at the end of each day.

“Writing can also be a therapy of its own,” Mandy says.

LAUGH

Making fun of any situation can make you laugh.

Dorothy says “laughter was the best medicine to get me through any tough days.”

Tell a joke, tickle someone in your house, pull a ridiculous face and watch the reaction of laugher from people around you and you might just find yourself laughing too.

“Laughing is contagious and will always help lighten a situation and lift your mood,” Dorothy says.

GET FIT

If you are not feeling sexy and confidant this can stress you out.  Looking good and feeling good comes hand in hand and means exercising is a must.  This is something you may not want to hear because who has the time to work out?

Well you need to make time because even light exercise makes you feel beautiful again.  Exercising is known to release feel good endorphins, so you no longer have to eat an entire bar of chocolate to feel this way.

“I would go for a walk, do a yoga class or even a swim after a stressful day,” Mandy says.  “This would help me keep on top of my health as well as feeling relaxed and stress-free.”

HOW ABOUT …NO!

Learning how to say no is a major step in the right direction of de-stressing your life.  Start saying no to the things you don’t want to do and feel the stress wall begin to crumble away around you.

“Saying no is one of the hardest and most confronting words to say in the English language,” Mandy says.  “Practice saying it in front of a mirror so it won’t be as daunting when you go to say it.”

If you know it is going to add to the crappy wall of stress simply say no.  If it is going to make you miserable, politely smile and simply say no.  You do not need to give dramatic, in depth explanations of why you can’t, and you definitely should never feel guilty about saying no.  By simply saying no to something that is only going to create more stress, people should understand.  And if they don’t, who cares!

As long as you are happy you are better off.

Flourishnote: What are your tips? Share in the comments box below.

 

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