No matter who we are, we all experience this thing we call ‘Stress’. When stress begins to develop, it has a way of slowly taking over our entire life, effecting everything we do. The longer that we allow the stress to dominate our life, the more it takes hold of us and the harder it is to shake off. The effects of stress influence our Wealth, our Health and our Relationships. Not only do we see and feel the stress reflected in these areas of our life but we will also begin to develop stress disorders. According to studies, the most common disorders associated with stress include Heart Disease, Asthma, Obesity, Diabetes, Depression, constant Headaches and Anxiety, all of these left untreated eventuate in premature death. It is known that 80% of all our life concerns develop from stress and the major reason that stress has been allowed to take over is because we do not know how to cope with the pressures and the effects of the situation at hand.
According to Health Psychologists, the main causes of stress in our lives are the daily hassles. If we do not have control over the 7 foundations that make up who we are, our; Nutrition, Hydration, Breathing, Thoughts, Movement, Rest and Willpower, stress begins to find its why to us. To avoid this occurrence, it is vital that routines are developed so that we can regain control and as a result the stress will be kept at bay. There is a thin line between happiness and stress, according to the happiness theory, happiness develops from our actions. The more actions we take, the more happiness we will get. However, these actions need to come from a place of relaxation and knowledge that this is the best for us and not from a place of stressfulness.
So to help you get through this STRESSFUL SILLY SEASON here are a few simple steps to follow to help you overcome the stress!
1. Get your shopping done EARLY! – don’t wait until a couple of days before christmas before heading to the shops for all the last minute presents.
2. Plan ahead! – Don’t let financial stress take over.. Make sure you go to the shops with a LIST in hand so you don’t spend too much unnecessary money!! This will most certainly lessen any money related stresses.
3. Even food shopping can be done as early as possible. Get all the longer lasting food as early as possible and just leave all the fresh produce for 3-4 days before christmas. That way you avoid all the parking hassles and queues.. which are huge stress triggers for shoppers.
4. Spoil yourself – Don’t forget about YOU! Buy yourself a christmas present, or even get yourself a massage. Something you WANT and not NEED. Show yourself a little appreciation for making it through the year.
