Do you ever feel like the lady in the image? Post- it’s everywhere, to- do lists the length of your arm, 5th coffee of the day nearby and you just feel like you can’t seem to get on top of things, and that’s only at work! We most likely add to that craziness when we get home or, we just fall flat on the couch drained after the onslaught from the stressful workday.

We sometimes can look calm on the outside but the inside is a different story, a bit like the swans legs under water going at a 100 miles an hour. It’s not a good feeling and eventfully your personal battery will drop to the red zone and if nothing is done at this stage for your own wellbeing burnout is inevitable in the near future. I have been at the burnout stage myself and trust me it has to be avoided at all costs. You have to put yourself and your wellbeing as a number 1 priority.

 

What is stress?

Basically stress is being overwhelmed and often a mix of anxiety, panic feelings, low self-esteem, anger/irritation and poor wellbeing. Everything gets on top of you and it can feel like there is no way out. One day you might feel as if you have got a lot of your to do list ticked off and then the next thing a new barrage of stuff lands on your table and your back to square one and your body goes into the fight or flight.

This fight or flight response is there to protect us, but it’s when we are in this constant state of stress the problems arise. If you think of an antelope on the Africans plains that has to flee the lion the perception of treat activates the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) this state overrides the immune system of resting, digesting and healing. Once the antelope is out of danger its system shifts back to the parasympathetic nervous system where resting, digesting and healing is switched back on.

Some stress is good to motivate us to get things done but we need to be mindful of not pushing it too far because at the end of the day we are not machines.

What can we do to control stress?

Firstly there is no magic button or miracle cure. Like anything putting a plaster on will only work for so long we need to get to the source

  • Return to your breath in the present moment (slow deep tummy breathing)
  • Cutting back on the work load
  • Dealing with problems on the spot (don’t bottle up things)
  • Slow down, rest, we are going way too fast (life is a marathon not a sprint)
  • Worry time (10-15 mins in the evening only)
  • Must and should do (ban them)
  • Exercise, meditation
  • Have a core group of people to connect with in times of need
  • Start saying NO to things
  • Do one thing at a time
  • Don’t try to be the superhero
  • Invest in a coach (I did, money well spent)

Dailey tools put to good use in controlling stress is a fast way of not reaching the burnout stage.