What are the variable differences between those who seem buried under a mountain of stress, and those who are breezily happy? The place that everyone starts is very simple, and that is self-awareness.

Once you understand and are aware of stress, its causes, and the health benefits of addressing it. You can begin to move into your stress-free future!

If you want to rid yourself of stress, you’re in the right place. 

What causes stress?

It comes as no surprise that 74% of the UK are so stressed they feel unable to cope. Women coming off worse than men at 81%, compared to 67%.

Experiencing high levels of stress over a long stretch of time comes at a serious cost to our health. Both mentally and physically.

One thing to know, is you are not alone and there are sure-fire ways to help reduce feelings of stress.

Our lives are a constant plate spinning extravaganza. Let’s see how many plates we can keep spinning before everything comes tumbling down around us.

The baby must be fed. That report is due in 2 hours. The ironing isn’t going to do itself. Between family commitments, work and domestic duties. Therefore, it would be incredibly easy to fuel yourself on adrenaline and succumb to overwhelm and stress.

Life isn’t easy, and we place such high unrealistic expectations on ourselves.

Do you resonate with any of these causes?

Is your work stressing you out?

• Excessive workload
• Unrealistic deadlines
• Difficult colleagues
• Bullying at work
• Tough managers
• Shooting in the dark – unclear goals
• Not fulfilling your potential

All of these can lead to work-related stress symptoms.

Or is your stress simply coming from within yourself? For reasons that are entirely out of your control?

• Global warming
• Political unrest
• Natural disasters
• Personal attitudes
• Unrealistic expectations
• What if scenarios

When you listen to the news daily, these exaggerated stories can begin to create stress within yourself. These are events that are completely out of your control and you shouldn’t allow this to affect your mental well-being.

Other factors that may be causing you stress;

• Going through a divorce
• Death of a friend/family member
• Losing your job
• Moving to a new house
• Getting married
• Serious traumatic event
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Other mental health issues
• On-going health issues

The list as to why so many of us are suffering is never ending.

It is incredibly easy to fall into a pattern of behaviour where you do not recognise or address the stress in your life. The key to this is to understand how to recognise signs of stress. So that you may address it and move forward to work towards improving your happiness.

A recent study shows that we have an average of 2.5 hours of free time every day. We must ensure we are using this time wisely. If you spend your free time scrolling mindlessly through Facebook. As a result of this, chances are you are going to feel more stressed. Also, it’s likely you will feel like you have no free time, because you wasted it on activities that aren’t improving your sense of happiness and well-being.

Mental well-being is crucial for people to function and feel happy.

 

Identifying your stress

Suffering from stress can manifest in many ways, whether that’s psychologically, physically or emotionally.

Signs you should be looking out for –

Emotional/Psychological Symptoms;

• Quick to feel agitated
• Feelings of frustration
• A feeling that you do not have control of your life
• Overwhelm
• A heavily distracted mind
• Low self-esteem
• Actively avoiding social interactions
• Feeling helpless
• Depression
• Anxious tendencies

Physical Symptoms;

• Tense muscles – especially around neck and shoulders
• Clenching of jaw
• Suffering with sleep
• Falling ill frequently
• Palpitations/Irregular heartbeat
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Headaches
• Stomach upset
• Low energy levels
• Acne
• Chronic pains
• Changes in libido

Behavioural signs;

(Look out for in others)

• Substance abuse
• Nail biting
• Fidgeting
• Eating too much
• Eating too little
• Severe procrastination and avoidance of responsibilities

Once you are stuck in a loop of bad habits, not recognising truly how you are feeling. Therefore, lacking the need to do something about it.

The best thing you can do having read these symptoms. Is to catch yourself in the moment. Realise when you are portraying these signs of stress.

Straight away, listen to how you are talking to yourself. Are you saying things like – you aren’t good enough, I cant ever do that, or they’re so much better than I am.

Would you speak to a friend in the way you are speaking to yourself in these moments?

It is a great tip to refer to yourself in third person. So rather than ‘I’ and ‘Me’, refer to yourself as ‘you’.

This tricks your brain to believing it has received praise externally. Embedding into your mind stronger than when you speak in first person to yourself.

A little further down in this post, we will cover more of what to do when you catch yourself in the moment, and tips of how to improve your stress levels.

It is important we look after ourselves mentally, as it has terrible long term affects on our health.

Consequences of long-term stress;

• Mental health disorders such as; anxiety, depression and personality disorders
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Heart attacks
• Stroke
• Obesity or anorexia
• Menstrual issues
• Acne, eczema, psoriasis and other skin related problems
• Alopecia and permanent hair loss
• Gastrointestinal problems

All of this begs the question – why aren’t people doing more to address this problem?

In the last year 602,000 people suffered from work-related stress. Costing employers 12.8 million workdays. It seems to be the number one culprit for work-related stress is a heavy workload.

Even if you have 10% increase in staff over-time, this will inevitably lead to a 2.4% decrease in productivity levels.

Employees well-being should be at the forefront of any business. A team suffering from stress, anxiety or depression will likely lead to a huge loss in productivity.

 

10 Habits of happy people

The next question after taking on all the negative points surrounding stress and mental health problems, is so… how do we solve it?!

No one lives in a permanent state of happiness, it’s impossible. However, an overall positive outlook on life can give you a sense of contentment and appreciation. Which inevitably will reduce your stress levels.

There also is no 1-rule-fits-all approach. As we’re all wired differently. So, you may need to trial a few methods to find what helps you.

 

We have compiled a list of 13 habits of happy people

1 – Look internally, not externally for happiness, take responsibility

Habitually we can find ourselves constantly looking to external sources for our happiness. To a loved one, a TV show, a boss, a friend. No one is responsible for your happiness but you!

2 – Sleep

Sleep deprivation is literally a form of torture. It’s no surprise if we aren’t getting our required zzz’s. Our happiness levels are going to take a hit. Aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, and adopt a calming bedtime routine to improve sleep quality

3 – Meditation

Meditation is known for its incredible benefits, it can increase happiness and decrease stress levels. There are some great guided meditation apps out there now, such as Headspace and Calm, if you need a hand getting started

4 – Reading

Reading is a great form of escapism, plus it doesn’t activate the brain like screens do

5 – Regular fresh air and being outdoors

Getting outdoors is one of the fastest ways to improve your mental health, especially in green spaces. Just 20 minutes outdoors per day will work wonders

6 – Get moving

It’s common knowledge that being stagnant all day simply is not good for you. Aim to get up and get your body moving for at least 30 mins per day

7 – Live in the now

Most of our worries live in the past or the future, we rarely live in the now. If you find yourself manic with stressed out thoughts, try stopping, and say to yourself 5 things you can see, this will snap you into the present moment

8 – Health, both food and exercise

Our gut health correlates with our mental health, put good stuff in your body and you will feel better!

9 – Own what you can control

If you can control something in your life, then own it. You are the boss of your own life

10 – Surround yourself with the right people

You become who you are around. If you are surrounded by toxic, negative people. It stands to reason you yourself will also become negative

11 – Remove materialistic goals

Steeping yourself in debt to keep up with the Jones’ will only increase your stress levels. Remember truly what is important in life. A £1,000 car will get you to the same destination as a £100,000 car

12 – Talk to yourself in third person

As we mentioned before, if you speak to yourself as you would speak to a friend, and in third person. You will trick your brain to thinking it has received external praise!

13 – Set goals

What truly makes you happy? What are your passions? Set yourself attainable goals that you know will enrich your life

 

The biggest trick – don’t try to do it all. Implement these tricks slowly. Trying to do it all and achieve ‘perfection’ will be a set up for failure.

 

Quick and easy stress combating techniques

Do you want some quick ditch ways to improve your happiness right now?

SMILE

Smiling can actually trick the brain into thinking we’re happy – which generates actual feelings of happiness!

BREATH

Follow this breathing technique –

1. Deep breathe in for 4 seconds
2. Hold for 4 seconds
3. Breathe out for 8 seconds
4. Hold for 4 seconds
5. Repeat 4 times

This breathing technique is proven to reduce blood pressure.

MUSIC

Nothing stimulates the brain like music. Choose your favourite upbeat tunes, and sing your way to happy.

STRETCH

If you sit at a desk all day long, stretching is incredibly important. Here are some easy stretches you can do whilst sitting at your desk;

• Stand up and stretch down to increase blood flow to the head
• Whilst seated, grab the opposite shoulders. Twist gently in each direction
• Simple neck rotations
• Sit back, palms on your sides and stretch back outwards

To see more on this, visit the Bupa website.

POWER POSE

See some great power poses here to trick your brain into feeling more confident.

FOCUS ON 5 THINGS YOU CAN –

SEE

FEEL

TASTE/SMELL

All these actions will bring you into the present moment and distract your brain from present worries.

 

How to be consistent

Like anything, there is a fear that we may fail to improve.

Even the fear of failure can cause us to choke and over-think what we’re trying to achieve.

Take on what you know you can manage. If you say to yourself, you will do all these things in the first day of actively reducing your stress levels. You will likely fail and fall back into bad habits.

When you find motivation lacking and you’re unsure of what to do next in your quest for a happier life. Sometimes it is best to look outside of yourself.

Is there an influencer, a podcast or type of music you just know will bring a smile to your face? Even a TV show? Well pop that on and relax. Let them do the motivating for you.

 

How to help others

Steps to identify stress is much easier in ourselves. We know exactly how we’re feeling. So, how do we identify it in others?

What we feel and what we portray is vastly different. People only see about 20% of what you’re feeling. So, it may be difficult to detect.

If you’re the manager, and looking to help your employees to reduce their stress levels at work. Click here to be redirected to a great blog post full of helpful tips.

What if you aren’t the boss, and cannot make such changes at work? Then here are some helpful tips by Forbes on how you can actively reduce your stress at work.

Be kind to one another and be understanding to other people’s situations. When we feel supported our mental health is greatly improved, and we’re quicker to bounce back after a highly stressful periods.

If you or anyone you know if currently working in an Administration role, we recently created a blog called ‘The Admin Assistants Ultimate Survival Guide‘ – worth checking out if you want more reasons to be positive at work!

 

Wrap up

The best time to start addressing stress, is right now. Prolonged periods where you’re subjected to high levels of stress can and will have adverse effects on your health, mentally and physically.

It is important to put yourself first if you feel like you are suffering, and don’t be afraid to speak up and allow yourself to be supported by your loved ones.

Take action today, to feel happier tomorrow.

If your action includes finding a new job, we’re here to help! Call us on 01623 656 303 or email recruit@turnerfox.co.uk or you can check out our latest job vacancies.