Shop to the beat or stress till you’re beat?
I rang a friend to tell her something. She was in her local supermarket and asked me to speak up because she couldn’t hear me over the live piano music playing. I obliged but after hanging up I had a quiet chuckle about how this incident was such a first world problem. I also wanted to know where her shop was because the idea of live music playing while shopping appealed to me.
Australians live in the lucky country.
We live in a wonderful country. Our government is not corrupt. The people in power don’t accept bribes and collect taxes for their personal use and then close schools because there’s not enough public money. We don’t have starvation, genocide or rampant disease.
We have clean water, clean air, shelter, food, medicines and education. We can afford holidays and luxury items. We can shop online in the comfort of our own home or go out to shop, buy a coffee and be serenaded with music.
Yet we are stressed
We have so many blessings and yet we are a stressed people. Stress is making us sick.
The bills keep coming, there are not enough hours in the day, and work and family responsibilities keep demanding our attention so that we feel there’s no time for us. Life is busy and fast-paced. There is no time to sit and ‘be’. It’s all about ‘doing’.
Some stress symptoms you might notice
We know we are stressed when we have difficulty with thinking and concentration, when we worry about little things and can’t sleep.
- We may feel tense, angry, anxious and cry. We may feel depressed and unsociable.
- We may increase use of nicotine, alcohol or caffeine.
- We may over eat or under eat, use pills or drugs to relax, over commit or withdraw.
- There may be physical symptoms like fast heart beat, chest pains, a feeling of choking, headaches and dizziness.
- Fast shallow breathing, sweating, nausea and vomiting and lowered resistance to infection are a few more.
- Continual, excessive stress can lead to an anxiety disorder, depression or other serious medical conditions.
15 ways you can manage stress
Life is too short to waste it on being stressed all the time.
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1. Stress can be managed and we can reduce some stress by learning techniques to relax like controlled breathing, visualization and progressive muscle relaxation.
2. Any type of physical exercise is helpful as it releases muscle tension and increases the ‘feel good’ chemicals on our bodies.
3. Don’t underestimate the role of basic fundamentals like eating regular healthy meals, drinking enough water, regular exercise and a good night’s sleep in helping us cope with stress.
4. Talking about our problems and worries with another person can be helpful. They may help you see things in a different way.
5. Learn to say no to tasks that put you under too much pressure.
6. Learn to recognise what’s worth worrying about and what’s not. Identify what you can control and what is outside your control, what you can change and what you can’t.
7. Stop smoking and taking more alcohol than the recommended daily maximum as these can make stressful situations seem worse.
8. Reward yourself with little things you enjoy, have an attitude of gratitude and remember to keep a sense of humour.
9. Smiling and laughing relaxes our muscles and releases tension and pressure.
10. Balancing work and play will help reduce stress.
11.Learning to forgive yourself and others for mistakes is good for your heart and well-being.
12. Letting go of disappointments and anger free us to enjoy life.
13. The popular saying ‘Stop and smell the roses’ is there to remind us to be mindful of our thinking.
14. Focus and pay attention on the ‘here and now’ rather than on the past or future, then you won’t feel stressed and feel like life has passed you by.
15. Talk to me. I like helping people get unstressed as well as unstuck. Send this automatically completed email.