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% ...

Quote by Hans Selye Changing a stressful situation is often out of our realm of control, and we can’t change how other people think or make people behave differently.  There are some situations we have no ability to ‘fix’. Just as blasting the horn and banging on the steering wheel isn’t going to make the traffic move any faster.  Some things are not within our power to control. We do however, have the choice of how we are going to respond to any stressful situation. Attitude is a choice Every morning you wake up, you get to decide which attitude you will choose for the day. You can choose a negative attitude or a positive one.  It’s your choice.   To get you thinking about it, let me share with you one thing I’ve discovered in my life which I know to be true.  Negativity attracts negativity.  When you go into your day expecting things to go wrong, they probably will.  Conversely the opposite is also true, a positive attitude seems ...

Do you make well intentioned resolutions for the New Year, but come February you’ve either forgotten them, or end up feeling guilty because you didn’t stick to them?   You are not alone; I think it would apply to most of us.   Nevertheless, the beginning of a new year with all the potential and possibilities that lie ahead is a good time to stop and take stock of where we are in life.   Instead of making resolutions, here are a few suggestions to help you embrace the changes you would like to make in the year ahead. Set aside some time for yourself and download your free Embracing the New Year worksheet . Sit quietly for a few moments and concentrate on just breathing. Then, with a pen and your worksheet ( download it here if you haven't already ) in hand, slowly reflect on the past year.  Here are some questions to inspire your thoughts. What challenges did I face and overcome this past year? What did I learn about myself that surprised me, ...