Avoiding unnecessary stress during the credit crunch

 

Tips for surviving the “stresses” of the “credit crunch” or anything else

Now we all know how very much the media love to hype things up, mixing in as much doom and gloom to the picture as possible! It’s amazing, I have even noticed the voice and demeanour of the newsreader assumes a depressing manner while reading the news out. It is very important during these times to ensure that you do not allowing yourself to be worn down by the endless assault of negative messages hitting you from every angle!

Recently I have noticed an increase in the number of enquiries coming in to me asking for help with coping with stress or anxiety. Quite often it is because people have succumbed to the above. When I actually dig into their specific circumstances, they find that things are actually okay, realising that they have been infected by the endless negative press around them. Read on to find out why this happens and how you can prevent it.

What is stress?

·         Stress is a person’s response to a situation, a person, an object or a thought, it is not a disease, or genetic, it is a response to what is happening around you

·         It can also be thought of as a mind/body state that arises when the demands placed on the individual are perceived to exceed (or threaten to exceed) your ability to cope. This can result in a range of issues including headaches, migraines, insomnia, depression, drug and alcohol abuse and skin complaints. Long term stress can lead to increased risk of major illnesses, bowel disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and anxiety disorders.

·         Stress is a result of the fight or flight response (click to read more about it) being triggered and this can be for several reasons, including

1.  
   1.  You are not taking time out to relax regularly, and so your mind/body is not working at its best to be able to cope normally
   2. You have too much going on around you (too many inputs) and you need to prioritise or find ways to reduce the perceived workload (covered in a future newsletter)
   3.  You are allowing your thoughts to get the better of you and they spiral into unnecessary worrying about stuff that may not happen – I call this the “What if?” syndrome, or “misusing your imagination”.(covered in a future newsletter)
   4.  You are trying to fight the anxiety instead of accepting it and then working with it to shut down the fight or flight response (covered in a future newsletter)

·         All of these things can be perceived by your mind as a “threat” to your well being, hence the fight or flight response gets triggered. It is important to realise that stress is a triggering of the fight or flight response because it firstly allows you to recognise the symptoms and secondly to realise that you can reverse them.

Over the coming set of newsletters, I will talk through simple ways of managing each one of the 4 points above. I have addressed them in an order that I think will be most effective

Tip 1 -Taking time out to relax

Take regular breaks

·         It sounds obvious, but I am surprised at how few people take any breaks in the day or evening, and then wonder why their mind/body feels overloaded. Animals rest, even machinery needs to rest, why do we think we are any different?

·         In fact we are designed to take short breaks every ninety minutes to be most effective – read this important information about ultradian rhythms to find out more

·         Contrary to what you think, when you make the time to take breaks and relax, you can get more done in the remaining time. The best way to believe me is to try it for yourself.

Incorporate daily relaxation time into your schedule

There are many ways to relax properly, some discussed on my website. Having a daily practice of 20 minutes relaxation, contributes to

·         Feeling more calm about things that would normally get you wound up (reducing the onset of stress)

·         Thinking more clearly and getting more things done, quicker (reducing your inputs and the likelihood of stress)

·        Release of endorphines. Relaxing in this way releases endorphins, the body’s natural feel good hormones, which make you feel more positive about yourself and the environment (reducing the unnecessary worrying). This process also promotes healing as the immune system is bolstered.

·         Increases creativity and breaks down black and white thinking, allowing you to find new perspectives on issues and discover new ways to do things (reducing the unnecessary worrying)

·         Improves sleep because you go to bed with fewer worries on your mind. Having a good night’s sleep allows you to be better able to cope with things in general(reducing the onset of stress)

To help you with this , download “Release the day…enjoy the rest…” available to you to help you relax, feel calmer, release worries from the day and experience the benefits of doing this regularly. (it only takes 25 minutes to listen to). You can access it on my website products  page – At the moment, if you sign up to my newsletter on that page, you can download it free.

Here is the link again – http://www.nickmeredith.co.uk/page_1216986644916.html

In the next issue I will address Tip 2: Ways to reduce your perceived number of inputs with some useful methods for prioritising and delegating.