Stress Management

Mindfulness can relieve stress by staying in the present moment Has this ever happened to you? You have driven a short distance in your car and suddenly realised you have no recollection of how you got from A to B. You navigated traffic but can't recall any of it because your mind was elsewhere Most of us will recognise how easily our mind wanders off on its own. What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the capacity to be fully aware of your thoughts, feelings and sensations in the present moment, without judging there is a right or wrong way to think or feel, but accepting what is, for now. It takes some practice but mindfulness can be very helpful to managing stress. The present If you think about your life as a timeline, made up of present moments, then this moment as you are reading this, is probably okay. Some moments can be painful but usually the present moment is okay. The problem is our attention leaves the present moment quite frequently because our mind h...

Difficult conversations are inevitable and can be extremely stressful.  We’ve all been there. We’ve had to speak to a boss or work colleague, a friend or family member about something that has the potential to be explosive.  No one enjoys this kind of situation, so we usually put it off until we end up having a confrontation instead of a conversation.   With a little thought and preparation, we can make these conversations far less stressful and get the outcome we want. Prepare Prepare yourself by taking a few moments to breath. Never have a difficult conversation when you are angry or emotionally charged.  Prepare what you want to say and say it.   If you are conveying something you know is going to be hard to hear, state it clearly in the first few sentences. Keep the outcome you want to achieve in mind, but be realistic and willing to compromise. Body language Watch your tone of voice. It might surprise you but words only convey about 10% ...