Tips For Stress Free Living!

I think on a good day, during a good year, it’s safe to say that there are still stresses which come our way, be it from relationships around us, dynamics at work, financial worries, health problems etc. However, with all the dismal news that surrounds us these days with recession at the forefront, oil disasters, rising VAT, double dips etc, it’s important that we take stock and reassess our reality, where we are at and not get weighed down by the negativity we hear all the time – there are plenty of good things to hold on to, even when the world does feel like it is coming to an end.

A year or so ago, I heard people discussing the silver lining to the recession – we’re going back to basics, we’re going to slow down, start greeting each other in the streets again, we are going to spend more time together and less time shopping and buying, old fashioned values will return, home cooking will have a boom etc etc etc – I wonder, is that your experience so far?

The high street reports ups and downs but yet it still just always seems busy to me. I’m not convinced that anything has changed at all in the way we are doing life, but I do know that people are feeling the strain. Yet another family has been murdered just this week by the husband/father we believe because their financial strains had become too much for him to carry. How does a situation get that bad?

30 years ago, in fact, 10 years ago even, we saved! If we wanted or needed something, we saved for it – now we whop out a credit card and it’s ours. We’ve become a quick fix I want it all and I want it now culture – perhaps that is why we are seeing these terrible repercussions with people killing themselves and their families rather than spend 10 or even 20 years digging themselves out of the pit they are in and rebuilding their lives. This instant reaction, this hot headed nature that we are developing is irrational and un natural. We need to learn that we can’t have everything we want, that life isn’t always fair and that some things take time.

So, here’s a list of things to look out for in order to maintain our own sense of wellbeing and sanity. Life is too short to be chasing afer the latest this that or other:

• Learn to say no – to things you want, to things your kids want but also to other people vying for your time.
• Stay at home more – rekindle the love of books and conversation, maintain your own peaceful sanctuary.
• Breathe deeply – from your stomach!!! Breathe so deep that your diaphragm pushes your belly out – the oxygen really clears your mind and steadies your heart.
• Switch the computer off……I dare you (and me) to switch the mobile off too!!!
• Eat more healthy foods – high sugars and salts increase blood pressure and stress levels.
• Cut down on caffeine.
• Have early nights.
• Listen …. it’s amazing how much we think we have to say. Stop talking and listen.
• Have an open mind, don’t stress yourself by assuming you are right. Try not to judge – we are all so defensive these days.
• Remind yourself of your values, if you’re not sure what they are, make a list of what is important to you.
• Be grateful – see the treasures in your life and stop striving for more (the grass isn’t greener on the other side!)
• Laugh more

This list really could go on for days – the sad reality is that so many of us have placed ourselves on a hamster wheel and are charging through life without actually making much progression. If that is you, perhaps  now is the time to not wait for everyone else to do it, but to do it yourself. Slow down, take stock and think about what you’re chasing after and why. Be grateful for what you have and live each day, don’t just exist in it.

Earlier this year, I wrote a list of “things I want to do before I die”… I know, it sounds a little morbid but it honestly wasn’t; it was just an evening of taking stock of my life so far. They weren’t things like wing walk or touch the moon, but things I wanted to achieve as a Mum and and a woman, and also professionally…. but there it hit me…. I have my family, my health, my friends and those are the most important things and really, anything else is superfluous to requirements.

If only we could keep that at the forefront of our minds. Do you remember the huge queues outside Top Shop last year for some celebrity’s new range? Or the massive overnight queues the year before for “that shopping bag”… insanity! Yes of course it’s fun to do once in a lifetime, but our culture has become obsessed with possessions and having the latest versions every month! It isn’t sustainable unless you’ve won the lottery! A friend of mine went to a party recently and said to me the next day – all the women looked the same…. have we lost our sense of identity? I think we all know the current long swept to the side blonde hair Paris Hilton Fern Cotton type looks?….it’s dull because everyone is doing it!

We need to brave reality, be ourselves, be honest about what we have and who we are and get on with life. Stressing about being someone we’re not or having something we can’t afford is fruitless.

For some, there are real things to be stressed about, redundancy, losing their home, serious illness even – these are understandable stresses and terrible situations that you wouldn’t wish on anyone. If and when we have to face those times, that’s when we understandably feel stress! Why choose to do it therefore when it’s not necessary? Even in the midst of those terrible times, some people are amazing at holding on to the silver linings, however slim they seem to be.  It’s then that we are faced with what’s most important so before it’s too late, take stock and be glad – who knows what may happen tomorrow?

Tagged as: Family, Health, Lifestyle, Time Management