Changing Your Mindset: How to Reduce Excess Stress

Stress and worry are an inescapable part of life. When you care about things, you’re going to worry about things – but does that mean that your wellbeing has to take a hit? Stress can take its toll on your physical and emotional wellness, but why? And what can you do to lessen the effects of stress?

Stress is your body’s natural response to danger. You feel threatened, and so a chemical reaction takes place in your body which allows you to be more alert and better-equipped to handle an intense situation. Your heart races, your breathing quickens, your blood pressure rises and your muscles tighten. This reaction is known as the “fight-or-flight” response; your body is ready to fight.

However, often the problems you face aren’t things you can run away from or fight your way out of, and so the stress continues and your body stays in that revved-up, fight-or-flight state. According to a study published in the journal Annals of Behavioural Medicine, people who are more stressed may also be more likely to develop chronic health conditions, such as heart disease or arthritis, over 10 years, so what can you do to de-stress your life?

Firstly, try the “Will it matter 5 months from now?” test. Think of something that gets you feeling stressed an anxious, such as missing a flight or forgetting a friend’s birthday. Are you still going to care about it in a few months, weeks or even days from now? Yes, your life would have been easier if you got those things right the first time, but they are solvable problems. There’s always another flight to catch, or another belated birthday card to send. Breathe, forgive yourself, and let it go.

If that mindset sounds a little easier said than done, create a distraction. Sometimes, there’s nothing you can actively do to help or solve your situation, so then it’s best to put it out of your mind. If you’ve got nothing to do but worry, that’s all you’re going to do. Take your mind off things by creating a project for yourself, or starting an intense exercise session. You may even find that taking a step back will help you to see the situation in a whole new, solvable light.

Changing Your Mindset: How to Reduce Excess Stress

Categories: Distraction, Fight or Flight, Solvable Problems

How Your Personal and Corporate Wellness are Connected

Being an entrepreneur can take its toll on your wellbeing; you’re constantly busy, running on coffee during the day and a few glasses of wine in the evenings, which is either a time in which you’re at networking events or unable to relax at home after a hectic day. But compromising your wellbeing for the sake of corporate wellness means you end up sacrificing both. Running on empty has long-term consequences to your health, happiness and business sustainability, so what can you do about it?

If your body is constantly wired and ready for ‘fight or flight’, your health suffers. Too much business determination and activity can damage your immune system, your ability to rest, your digestive system, your ability to repair, and ultimately can lead to serious health conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, insomnia and muscle pain. Focussing too much on work also hinders you from connecting with others, and you will miss out on most of the small things in life that can bring so much gratefulness and joy.

According to NICE, 40% of all absenteeism in the UK is due to mental health concerns like depression, which costs the UK an estimated £36bn annually. However, ‘presenteeism’ – in which you go to work when you are ill – is estimated to exceed absenteeism in terms of lost productivity by up to 3 times, according to 2009 L&G statistics. Too much concern about work is responsible for both absenteeism and presenteeism, which, combined, are estimated to cost 16% in productivity. So what can you do to minimise these costs to your business?

Firstly, lead by example and make wellness lifestyle changes in terms of nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management techniques. Change one thing at a time, as this is a more sustainable solution. Then, turn to emotional wellness – what mood does work put you in at the moment? Is this helpful? The key to influencing and motivating others is to maintain a naturally buoyant energy and positive language, but how can you do that if you’re over-worked and stressed? If you can take care of yourself – physically and emotionally – and encourage your employees to do the same, it will make a huge difference to your wellbeing, and that of your business.

How Your Personal and Corporate Wellness are Connected

Categories: Emotional Wellness, Fight or Flight, nutrition