THE BLOG

Christmas is coming and we’re heading into the most stressful part of the year. A combination of an overdose of family time, financial year end, lack of sunlight and relentless Christmas cheer is enough to make anyone feel stressed out.

Fortunately there are a number of ways to prepare the body for stress. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Meditate or do yoga each morning. The simple technique of quieting the mind, following the breath, and relaxing the body can put you in the right frame of mind for getting through a stressful day with a positive mental attitude.

During the day the stress mounts, whether at home or at your place of work. This can result in tension, headaches, back pain or lack of focus and general unproductivity. A few simple ways to help reduce these stress symptoms are to change your position or take a quick walk around the office, drink some water, stretch, or do a yoga exercise.

2. Exercise. Walking 20 minutes per day can change body chemistry in a way that calms the nervous system and reduces stress levels. Aerobic exercise is especially good for producing endorphins in the body – which are natural soothing hormones released during sustained exercise. Be careful of over-exercising when you’re stressed-out. Stress increases your adrenaline and cortisol levels, and so does exercise. Over exercising can exacerbate symptoms of stress by pumping more cortisol into the system and making your over-used adrenal glands work even harder.

3. Make dietary changes. Reducing sugar, carbohydrates, caffeine and alcohol in your diet can go a long way towards getting your body back into a healthy balance. It’s now recognized that when we eat carbohydrates, these foods turn directly into sugar in our bodies. The more sugar we eat, the more depleted our B-vitamins become. B-vitamins are essential for a healthy nervous system.

4. Supplement with vitamins and minerals. Taking a daily multi-vitamin, mineral supplement and B-vitamin supplement can strengthen your nervous system whether you’re already depleted by stress or storing up for an onslaught of stressful circumstances. The mineral magnesium is especially helpful for calming the nerves and toning up the nervous system. Athletes preparing for a race understand that extreme physical activity can be stressful and boost their bodies with nutrients beforehand.

5. Get more sleep!
A typical symptom of stress is lack of sleep, so get a better night’s rest by:
– having a hot bath two hours before you turn in.
– avoiding alcohol
– not drinking coffee after lunchtime
– chillax before you go to bed! Avoid computers, news programmes, video games or anything else which buzzes you up for ½ hour before you go to bed.

6. Take a few minutes to stop and stare!
As the poem says
“What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows.”

So take a few minutes out regularly during the day for staring out of the window and daydreaming. Don’t feel guilty – your subconscious brain will be busy working away for you while you’re having a mini recharge!

The poem finishes with “a poor life this, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare” – so get some quality back and follow these tips!