Stress Management Tips

Stress Management Tips

1. Learn to say NO:
If you have a people pleasing personality it may be hard for you to say no.

The only way to get better is to start slowly and practice. The more you do it, the easier it will become.

Every time you feel you should say yes take a moment and think to yourself: ‘is this something I really want to do’? If the answer isn’t a most definite yes than say ‘NO’!

2. Mindfulness
It is a lovely practice to start your day by setting your intention for the day, e.g. I choose happiness, I will enjoy today no matter what, I will only look for the positive in things, I will focus on my breath, I will focus on my posture, today I will be strong etc.
Throughout the day whenever anything challenges you, come back to your intention for the day. Remember, your emotions will come and go like the waves of the ocean – it is you who decides whether to let them linger: try not to get caught up in the small stuff, look at the bigger picture.
The perfect day is today because that is all we have, yesterday has gone, tomorrow hasn’t come so make the most of what is here: TODAY. Learn to live in the moment!
Mindfulness is not something that comes naturally to us, we are very easily distracted!

Here are some tips to help you ‘learn’ to be mindful:
• Start noticing what is happening around you (and accept it rather than react to it). It might be the weather, what you are eating, how other’s are acting…
• Notice your thoughts and reactions. Try to keep your awareness on your thoughts but don’t judge yourself if your mind wanders off. Choose which thoughts you want to linger on and which ones are not serving you
• Notice your body and it’s reactions, for example hunching your shoulders when your cold, slumping when your sad or tired…
• Be aware of your waves of emotions

3. Gratitude
Make a daily note of what you are thankful for, live a life of gratitude:

Open your eyes and look for the good things in life, write them down, say them out load, focus on them.

Give gratitude and create gratitude for others.

It is great to have a gratitude diary and do this every morning to start the day and every night before bed. It will set you up for a wonderful day and a great sleep.

Get your children involved with this as well, it is never too early!