Dealing With Stress And Maintaining A Healthy Lifestyle

Your guide to managing the stresses of day-to-day life.

Life can be stressful and there are often times when you feel like no one in the world is as stressed as you are. Believe me, I know. But, please rest assured that you are never alone in this and there is always someone you can talk to that has experienced what you are going through.

There are many ways we can de-stress. Let’s start with the first:

Stop comparing yourself!

No, you are not behind for your age. No, you should not have 50K to your name when you’re only in your 20s. No, you do not need to have it all figured out. Yes, you are right where you need to be.

As humans we tend to compare our own lives to that of others who we think are achieving more than we are, but you have to remember a lot of these “achievements” are just what you’ve been shown online and some of it may not be completely real.

You may think, “but that person is better than me” but how do you know they don’t also think that about you? Everyone has their strengths and I promise you everyone also has their insecurities. There is something that you will be better than someone else at, and vice versa, but focus on what you are good at!

Work hard at whatever you’re doing, and take one day at a time. You will get to where you need to be and what’s meant for you will not pass you by.

Organise your schedule!

Happy mind = happy life.

Create to-do lists or a weekly planner. It really helps. Having everything you need to do written in front of you allows you to visualise what you need to get done, and suddenly it becomes doable.

Important side note! If you are planning your week, please leave yourself some time for yourself! Pencil in some social time, or time for your hobby. This is the thing that will make your schedule achievable and not overwhelming.

Find a hobby!

If you don’t already have one, take time to learn a new skill or hobby that fulfils you and makes you happy. For professional performers, a lot of us have turned something that used to be our hobby into our career. So, it’s time to get a new hobby.

Hobbies take your mind off the stresses of your job or other aspects of daily life, so really try and nurture yours and it will reward you with contentment!

Maintain a healthy sleep pattern!

Although it is common knowledge that adults need at least 7 hours of sleep every night, I came across some new findings recently. Apparently, adult women should be aiming for closer to 9–10 hours of sleep every night due to our hormone cycles. So, if you are a woman who gets 7 hours of sleep per night but still feels tired, this could be why!

If you get 7–10 hours of sleep every night but never feel rested, this could be because you are not going to sleep or waking up at the same time everyday. I know it’s hard, but if you go to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every day, your body will train itself to feel much more energised every morning.

If constant tiredness is an issue that you have, try this strict sleeping schedule and let me know if it works!

Exercise!

Oh no, the ‘E’ word. Some people hate it, I know. That’s why I’m not going to lecture you about working out 3–4 times a week or doing something silly like running 10K everyday. But, just going out for walks in the fresh air can do you huge amounts of good.

Or, if going to the gym is boring to you, why not try more fun ways of exercising? Like dance-fit classes (zumba)? You never know, you might like it!

We all know exercise releases endorphins which will increase your mood, but it will also give you a glow that you can’t get anywhere else!

Make time for yourself!

I see a lot of people online talking about a ‘social battery’ which can run out after you’ve spent a lot of time in a social situation. I’m here to tell you it’s a real thing — so make sure you take the time to recharge it!

Recharging your social battery can look different for different people. For instance, personally I like to spend my downtime reading articles on Medium or listening to music. For you it might be something else. This is okay! Figure out how your social battery recharges and use it as your own personal method.

It could even be spending time with your family which seems backwards as this may mean being social, but sometimes being with your family requires less energy than being out with your friends or at work.

I could go on and on forever about managing stress because I think it is so important. The hardest workers are the ones who also spend a lot of time on themselves and doing nothing but relaxing.

It doesn’t make you lazy.

Try some of the tips above and do get in touch if any of them have worked for you or if you have any more to add that you would like to share!