The UK Health & Safety Executive definition of stress points out that while the reaction of the body to stress can lead to mental health symptoms, stress is not a mental health illness.
- Stress is a set of reactions and responses,
- The level of stress varies from one person to another,
- Stress is nonetheless real for the person experiencing it,
- So stress can have a significant adverse reaction to health and wellbeing.
You can download my simple and straightforward stress audit now:
Stress Audit (53 KB)
You can read facts from a case study here.
Emotions related to stress can be strange, volatile, and unpredictable. They do not always respond to logic and reason. They do, often respond to action. In my experience one of the best way to kill a negative emotion such as stress is to work it to death.
Almost nothing is as bad as it first seems, and there is nothing like a hard day’s work to put everything in proper perspective. If you begin to feel negative emotions, dwelling on your misfortunes only makes you feel worse. Do your best to put them out of your mind and think about more positive, constructive things.
Physical labour can help. Choose a task that doesn’t require a great deal of your concentration - or your mental capacity - and then focus on accomplishing that activity. Physical exercise can help too - a run, a cycle ride or a gym workout are all good forms of displacement therapy.
People who take regular exercise also tend to be happier. Research shows they also have fewer days of sickness and can cope better with stressors. Why? Because the body has it’s own in-built medicine cabinet; it knows what is best. Decades ago, when we were stationed in Hong Kong, I was first exposed to hatha yoga and the benefit of regular exercise coupled with meditation. My wise yoga tutor Maureen Coleman, gave the class three pieces of advice, which have become my personal wellbeing guidelines:
- You are what you eat,
- You are only as young as your spine,
- Listen to your body.
Contact me today if you think I can help you - taking action now is all part of your stress solution.
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