Manage Stress - Give Yourself More Time

Reduce Stress - By Giving Yourself More Time

Are you a Multi-tasker?

Do you tweet, bake, jot down ideas for your novel, run your own company, pick up the children from school, tone your core with Pilates all at the same time? You don't have a blueprint for your life and your decisions are based on contingency spinning on a dime?

Are you always racing from one job to the next, but accomplishing very little?

Saying that you need to make your busy schedule more manageable, is then an understatement, but check through the following stress factors to make sure:


If you Worry about Time

Is your task list endlessly running through your head, are you constantly rearranging your diary or wishing for an extra hour in your day.

You're glad when someone Cancels

The end of day, and you still have a meeting on the other side of town or dinner with a friend, but you would rather be at home with your feet up. You need to look at your diary management if you are cancelling more than one commitment per week or hoping someone cancels on you.

Start Managing your Time

Try to cut at least three, preferable four commitments over the next two weeks. See how you manage and feel with the extra breathing space.

Write down the five tasks that you have to do the next day, and leave out the ones you should do.

Remember, the telephone - use it rather than emails, which should only be a fallback as emailing can waste hours. Call the person and stand up while you're speaking, that should keep the phone conversation short.

Cannot make a quick decision - try tossing a coin, chances are you'll make up your mind by the time the coin lands!

Everyone Saying You're too busy?

Often the people around you notice you are stressed, or becoming over-stressed, before you do. If you hear complaints from your loved ones that you're too busy or that they never see you anymore, it's one of the surest signs that your work life needs an overhaul.

Never dismiss what friends and family are saying to you, they care about you and probably can see you heading in an unhealthy direction.

As a stress reliever, take a day off and assess your life priorities and your time. See what can be delegated or could you afford to pay someone else to do it.

Remember a really pleasurable day and slowly, slowly go through it in your mind. Do this for 10 minutes a couple of times a week and it will become an effective coping mechanism when you're stressed or exhausted.

It will have the dual effect of reminding you just why you put yourself through these stress inducing hoops, and it would be better to plan more pleasurable times - which can only be good for you.

Try Bhramari Breath. Make a 'mmmmmmmm' sound for as long as possible, then take a deep breath and begin again. Do this at least 12 times as humming, calms you and helps reduce anxiety, and can also infuse you with energy.

Don't be hard on yourself, change is not instantaneous however, set a goal, perhaps for this time next year, saying you will spend more time with family and friends, and be more in control of your work schedule.

Assess your health, ensure that you exercise even simply walking for 20 minutes a day can really help you to relax and focus on what needs to be done.

Our Western diet means most of us are severely deficient in magnesium and stress uses up a lot of our supply. Set up a supplement regime that will boost energy and concentration. These are good stress beaters.

• Co-enzyme Q10 is a vital component of energy production, 100 mg daily can boost energy and concentration.
• Ashwagandha, 400mg two - three times daily. - Among this herb's many attributes is it's effective in relieving stress, improving concentration, as well as a body rejuvenate.
• Magnesium Citrate, 400 mg daily before bed.
• B complex, a high quality supplement - essential for a healthy nervous system.

Emotional Stress or Work Stress - it is irrelevant, it all affects your health, your lifestyle and your relationships in the same way.

Totally Exhausted, Anxious and not Sleeping well?

These symptoms of adrenal fatigue are a sign that you are already burnt out due to stress, and rather have a medical herbalist prescribe a specific tincture for you. Stress has the adrenal glands overworking and pumping out cortisol, so it will take time, some herbalists say up to a month of taking care of yourself for every year you've been under heavy stress, to rectify the problem.

The herbalist may recommend a blend with borage to lift the spirits, Ashwagandha for stress relief and vervain which is relaxing.

If you experience any, or all, of the following three symptoms, you should be medically evaluated, before assuming it's stress.


1. Chest Pain or Heart Palpitations: Chest pain is not unique to stress, but if there isn't medical evidence of heart problems or other disease, then most likely stress is the culprit. The physiological, fight or flight response, which floods adrenaline into the blood stream is how the body reacts to stress.

The tightening of the chest muscles, increased respiration and blood flow to the heart are all part of the body's response to stress, therefore chest pain should not come as a surprise.

2. Headaches: Headaches and tension headaches are one of the most common symptoms of stress especially in women, only 37% of men suffering from stress reported headaches. Migraines triggers commonly cited by sufferers were physical and emotional stress.

3. Lightheadedness: Providing there isn't an underlying medical condition, usually whenever the heart rate and blood pressure rises or falls quickly, lightheadedness may be felt.
Since the heart rate and blood pressure are directly affected by stress, dizziness and lightheadedness have been reported by chronic stress sufferers.

Over the Counter Supplements, if you are not too far down the stress road.

Emotional Exhaustion - Rhodiola rose may help

Physical Stress - Try Ashwagandha (Indian Ginseng)

Mental Fatigue - Gotu kola is a reliable traditional treatment

Eat Little and Often - keeps blood sugars level and stops the stress cravings for fatty, starch foods.

Sleep Better - Keep to a regular bedtime, take a calming tea such as chamomile and verbena together. Put in 20 drops of Oat tincture.


AND ANOTHER THING …

Try if you can to get away somewhere quiet.

Stay in place that is simple and uncluttered set in your favourite part of nature, perhaps the forest, in the mountains, a valley, the desolation of a desert, next to a river, or find a lonely beach.

A retreat, where the peace and solitude is a balm to the overwrought mind, and all parts of you can once again become whole and centered.