National Stress Awareness Day

Today is National Stress Awareness Day and we know that this time of year can bring to the surface a lot of stressful feelings both at home and at work. So, we’ve created our top tips to help you chillax!

Now don’t hate on us, but the last thing you want to do to cope with stress is bury it with cigarettes and alcohol. Sure, it’s a relief when you’re carefree for a while, but in the long run, you’re actually not solving anything.

“In life, there’s always a solution to a problem,”

says Professor Cary Cooper, an occupational health expert at the University of Lancaster.

The key to good stress management is building emotional resilience, regaining control of your situation, staying social, and thinking positive.

Get Active

Now some people would actually think exercise is stressful. But if that’s the case then maybe you’re exercising wrong – or at least not in the right way for you. Running on a treadmill until you look like a boiled kettle is great for some, but for others, it can add physical stress and make you feel worse.

Instead, try:

• Boxing – Excellent relief for anger, let it all out on some pads or a punchbag.
• Lifting weights – Helps you feel in control of something and get you back in the right mindset.
• Swimming – More peaceful version of running that still challenges all your muscles with less physical strain.
• Walking – Get out into nature, walk in the rain, visit somewhere you love. Just refocus your mind and calm yourself.

Seize Control

If you tell yourself – ‘I can’t do anything about this problem’ – it’s going to get worse. You have to take the reins; it might be difficult but always say you’re trying to get things back on track. If you can get a step closer to fixing the problem then that will add some serious positive reinforcement that will keep willing you forward.

Socialise

Yuk, socialising, really? It’s not for everyone, but you just might be surprised how interaction with another person, be they friend, family or stranger can help you. You can just talk about normal stuff and have a laugh which releases lots of healthy chemicals into our bodies, or you can unload some of what’s burdening you and maybe get some helpful feedback and support. If you really hate people, it’s not the end of the world, animals can also help relieve stress. They’re not great at advice but they’ll listen to you and often provide great hugs! It should be stressed that when visiting a safari park, trying to hug a lion is not advised and will increase stress greatly.

You Time

Did you know that in the UK, on average we work the longest hours in Europe? Yeah, unfair right? Well, this makes it important to set aside some time for yourself and do what makes you happy while you’re off at the weekend or in the evenings after work. It can help to book things in advance so you remain committed and don’t let your time end up compromised by work or someone else.

Self-improvement

Life can become stale. This itself can lead to stress, but to cope with stress in general learning something new or setting goals to achieve can help improve your emotional strength. By improving yourself you have one more reason to be positive. Learn a language, master an instrument, attend a class or online course of some kind.

Lend a Helping Hand

Evidence has shown us that people who help others, through activities such as volunteering or community work, become more mentally resilient.
If time is an issue, instead try to do someone a favour every day. It can be something as small as helping someone cross the road or going on a drink or lunch run for colleagues.

Work Efficiently

Your workload might look scary. The list of jobs is just never-ending. Well, that’s not true. Don’t push yourself to work overtime or weekends to keep up with work. Prioritise your tasks and complete them in order of urgency. This will start the ball rolling for completing task after task and as the days and weeks go by, you’ll keep chipping away at that list. Working over does happen, of course, there is nothing wrong with being committed, but don’t do it because you’re stressed out, do it if it’s going to help someone else, like a customer or colleague for example.

Stay Positive

Cliché or what? But it works. Don’t succumb to your own negativity. Made a mistake? You shouldn’t be sat there thinking, ‘I’m an idiot’, instead you should be putting on your problem-solving hat and fix the mistake. Sales looking a little dry this month? Don’t give up on hitting targets, think about what you can do to help get new customers through the door. By refusing to be negative, you’re preventing stress from taking hold.

Acceptance and Action

Stress can sometimes be thrust upon us unexpectedly. Maybe you missed out on a promotion or didn’t win the award you were nominated for. You have a choice at this point, and it is a choice that comes with only one correct answer. You can feel sorry for yourself and think about why it is you didn’t get it, or you can accept what’s happened and set your mind on proving everyone else wrong to doubt you. Learn from failure and take it in your stride.

Thanks for reading all our tips, we hope that at least some of them can help you destress. And remember you don’t have to be super stressed to be affected by it. Even little things can build up and boil over. Stay ahead of the stresses of life and keep your smile shining.

If you’d like any further information about any of Click Dealer’s products and services, please contact marketing@clickdealer.co.uk or call us via 01782 478 220 or using our contact page.