Positive Ways to Deal With Stress.

I know what it is like to suffer with stress to the point it manifests in weight loss and then gain, severe digestive problems skin problems, allergies, anxiety and panic attacks.  And I now know what it feels to be so chilled out I can walk away from stress and those who would bring conflict to my door 

(no matter how hard they try or for how long!), without "relapsing".    

Now you know I am NOT a fan of blogs and articles that claim to give you quick fix solutions to real or deep rooted problems.  I do have some suggestions from my own personal experience though which I would like to share. How do we cope with stress on a day to day level?  In the here and now when we experience set backs, conflict, and things are just not how we want them to be.  Here are my 6 top tips. 

Setting positive affirmations on my phone calendar.   Be your own best friend.  Ask yourself, when something bad or stressful happens, "what do I need to hear right now?" And set a weekly reminder in your phone.  "What would I say to a friend in this situation", "what do I need to gain from this situation".  You can update and change these as you wish.  I had about 9 different affirmations working in rotation on my calendar.  All set at different times on different days, some twice a week. I found you can never have too much of a good thing!  

Breathing exercises. Simply find somewhere quiet and take some big deep conscious breaths.  As you inhale imagine the breath moving up your spine and out your crown.  Filling your belly and lunges completely.  As you exhale let the breath deflate down your spine, emptying your lungs and belly completely on its way. Repeat for a for long as you need.  

Getting out for a walk at lunch.  Even a 5 minute walk can do wonders.  In all weathers.  Fresh air, movement, and a break from your environment can help improve our frame of mind for the rest of the day.     

Healthy snacks and cutting down caffeine to avoid crashes.  Sugar and caffeine can seem like comfort go too crutches.  Fruit, herbal teas, and healthy meals give a more stable sugar level throughout the day.  This has a multitude of positive  benefits.  Stabilising our responses, mood, and weight amongst them.   

Regular daily yoga/meditation practice.  Even if 2 minutes.  Yes, I know I am biased!  Spending time focusing on yourself, your body, your wellbeing, your mind, meditating.  These are things which can break down negative thought patterns, remove tension and fatigue from the body and mind, help you refocus on the bigger picture, make positive changes, sleep better.  We not only begin to respond differently to difficulties and stress, but we can use yoga and meditation to cope better with the after-effects.     

Practising indifference.  When someone is forcing conflict on you it is ok to be cross.  It's ok to feel upset and look at why they are doing it.  It's ok.  For a day or two.  Deal with it, have a rant, meditate on it, and move on.  Don't let others spoil life for you.  If you need to learn something from the situation, or do something different next time, then do that.  If not, don't take responsibility for other peoples behaviour and choices.

Sending you peace and relaxation - Charlotte x

Relaxation Tips with The Happy Hunt