April is Stress Awareness Month and with most of us feeling under pressure in some way in our daily lives, it's important to recognise the stresses we feel and have a handful of tips and tricks to help alleviate stress and the negative behaviours associated with it.
Stress can come from anywhere - family and home life, work, financial worries, health scares, to name a few, but can be managed effectively. It's important to take a step back and analyse the triggers and use some or all of the methods below to help reduce your stress.
- PUT THE KETTLE ON
If you're short on time, allow yourself 10 minutes to enjoy a cup of your favourite drink. Notice the flavour and let your mind wander freely. If thoughts creep in, acknowledge them and pop them to one side, giving yourself permission to come back to them AFTER your 10-minute cuppa is over.
- AROMATHERAPY
Aromatherapy involves using essential oils and your sense of smell to harness natural benefits. Smelling an essential oil, such as lavender, triggers the olfactory nerve to send a signal to your brain that affects the parasympathetic nervous system, which affects emotions, mood and behaviours. Try an essential oil blend with calming properties, such as the Tranquil blend.
- QUALITY TIME WITH LOVED ONES
Spending quality time with your loved ones, whether that's family, friends or pets, can have such a profound effect on our wellbeing. Meeting up for a coffee, enjoying a walk around the park or simply having a phone call with someone will help strengthen and nurture those connections, which help release our feel good chemicals; endorphins.
- MEDITATION
Mindfulness meditation helps us have a more balanced response to stress, one where we can make decisions with clarity and reasoning. There are many methods to meditate, including breathing techniques (look up the 4/7/8, box and diaphragmatic breathing techniques), walking, mantra repetition and journaling.
- MOVEMENT
Moving your body not only has physical health benefits, it also helps release endorphins. Regular exercise will also increase self-confidence and esteem, and help with a good night's sleep.
- GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP
Easier said than done, getting a good night's sleep can be challenging, but there are several products and rituals which can help. The more tired we are, the more stressed we often feel from experiences and triggers that we might not have perceived as stressful normally. This is why it's so important to make sure you are getting enough sleep. The snooze rollerball is a dreamy blend of lavender, vetiver and clary sage essential oils and will help you doze off into a restorative sleep.
