Practical Stress Busting Tips to do Now and Next Week

Practical Stress Busting Tips to do Now and Next Week

Practical Tips to Manage Stress, Inspired by Our Caring for Yourself Programme. By Amy, Happiness Ambassador.

What does stress look like for you?

For me, there’s the usual – racing heart, tearfulness, forgetfulness, irritability. It’s also, I’ve come to realise, hallucinations, temporary deafness, even hives. These are red alert signals from my body telling me that I’m about to get overwhelmed  –  or that I’m already overwhelmed but I’ve been ignoring it. Perhaps because I felt I had no right to be stressed.

I trip more, bump into things, I can no longer reverse park, I forget words or use the wrong ones, I find the washing up liquid in the fridge… It took me a long time to recognise that this was stress and what I needed to do was find any opportunity in my day and in my week to slow down.

Reaching this awareness is the first step, so if this has triggered a light bulb moment for you then hurrah!  What should you do next?

6 Things to Try First (in the next ten seconds to ten minutes. )

1. Bring your attention to your body, is it full of tension? Are your shoulders up near your ears? Drop them, waggle them a little. Shake your limbs, straighten your spine.
2. Notice your breathing. Is your breathing shallow? When did you last fill your lungs? Take a breath.
3. Drink a glass of water.
4. Have you eaten? Do you have the opportunity to eat something rich in protein and vitamins?
5. Bring yourself into the now by noticing your surroundings. Focus solely on your next action – if youre washing up, notice the temperature of the water on your hands, the smell of the suds, the motion of cleaning and rinsing.
6. Do nothing for however long you can spare, one minute or five minutes. Reflect, are you ok?

3 Things to Try Next

1. At the earliest opportunity, go for a walk. The latin phrase solvitur ambulando is often used to describe how problems can be solved by doing. The literal translation is ‘solved by walking’ and some people find that the repetitive movement of their arms and legs, as well as the benefits of fresh air and exercise, can help clear their mind and order their thoughts.
2. Talk about it – who can you have an honest conversation with about your emotional wellbeing?
3. Make a short term plan. What can you do to lighten the load? Who can help you?

5 Things to Do After That

1. Look ahead. Busy time coming up? Prioritise rest afterwards, but also during. Schedule downtime into your diary if that helps – throughout the day as well as the week.  We call these ‘micro-renewals.’ This will help reset you from red to amber as you go along.
2. Establish a bedtime routine. Feeling rested makes a phenomenal difference to our stress levels. A set time for sleeping and waking and a ‘winding down’ routine are signals to our brain that it’s time to switch off. This migh be reduced screen time, a bath, a book, a relaxing tea, even a particular pair of comfortable socks. Find what works for you – and be consistent.
3. Review the way you’re spending your energy.  When we’re overwhelmed, we sometimes feel a ridiculous instinct to do more and more. Work SMART not long! Think about what you want to do to make a difference and do that first.
4. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Understand what or who fills up your cup and keep it topped up regularly.
5. Accept what you can’t change and don’t waste time and energy on it. (It might be helpful to write this down to remind yourself.)

One of the biggest sources of stress for many people is work. That’s why we’ve developed ‘Caring For Yourself’, with all of this and more – practical ways to be happier and healthier at work. Find out more here.