Living in a frantic world …….
In this world today, our lives are not without stress. In fact more and more people are complaining of feeling stressed and overwhelmed. We can have conflicts and frustrations in the workplace, family issues and even the small things like being stuck in traffic can upset us.
In this article I am going to give you 6 simple ways to help you manage and hopefully make those stressors seem smaller.
These daily stressors generate huge emotions, but our brains are full of strategies to help. When we focus on the negative we might use learned techniques to help with reframing the situation, putting a more positive light on it.
Living in a Digital age certainly hasn’t helped with reducing stress in our lives. In fact, it has made things a whole lot worse. Every day you read something about the negative impacts of social media and smartphones on health, wellbeing and family relationships. Researchers have found that just 5 nights of looking at your phone or computer screen between 9 pm and 11 pm can lead to low mood and anxiety the next day, poor sleep and a need to check our phones more – a heightened fear we may miss something important.
The past few nights I have carried out a little experiment myself. What I found, particularly last night was ……… I went to bed at 11.30pm and by midnight I was unable to sleep. My mind was running wild, planning, ruminating, feeling frustrated at not being able to sleep. I also had what only could be described as eye fatigue – my eyes felt sore and I had a dull headache. I woke up this morning and felt exhausted. My mood was low and my energy levels pretty much the same. I actually felt anxious. I started feeling a little bit worthless and focusing on the negatives – things I haven’t got instead of what I have!
Imagine that your brain is a bit like the desktop of a computer. During the day we are continuously processing information. We even process stuff that we aren’t aware of – visual stuff, noises etc. Night time and particularly when we are in a good sleep, the desktop begins to clear and reboot for the next day, so basically we wake up with a clear mind. When we have a stressful day, our brain remembers how we reacted and if we keep reacting the same way it becomes an embedded behaviour. We overstimulate our brains before bed and then the desktop doesn’t clear properly.
Reduce your digital exposure and notice how much better you feel………
The good news is that we can all learn new ways of coping and responding (not reacting) to situations.
1. Start your day with light exercise….
2. As soon as you can get out of the house and outdoors……
3. Spend time with a close friend…..
4. Go for a walk ….
5. Remember to breathe………
6. Make a cup of tea ………
Researchers at University College London discovered black tea drinkers recovered faster after stress.
Thanks for reading and please feel free to share – Karen x
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