Featured In: The Coalville Times, Friday, 13th May, 2022

HEALTH MATTERS WITH DR HANNA ROBBINS

Stress - How to protect against it

WE HAVE been talking about stress – where it comes from, how it affects us, and how to recognise it in the people around us. So what can we do to prevent stress?

Have a positive mindset

This can be easier said than done! Being in control of our thoughts helps us problem solve rather than seeing the barriers. It helps us to avoid:

• Worrying about all the things that could go wrong
• Overreacting emotionally
• Being distracted by constant mind chatter
• Having mental blocks when we are stressed. Wellbeing and mindfulness apps train us to focus on ‘here and now’, instead of worrying about ‘whys and maybes’. The way we think about ourselves can change the negative inner voice into a positive one.

Try telling ourselves often:

• I am calm
• I am in control
• Challenges help me learn
• I can handle whatever comes my way
• I am strong
• I choose happiness

Try these apps:

Calm https://www.calm.com/

Headspace https://www.headspace.com/

Don't be a slave to tech

The volume of emails we now get stops us getting the important things done and can cause stress.

• Choose when and whether you open your email
• Turning off phone/ watch notifications can help us focus
• Having a digital detox for a few days can reset the stress button
• Avoid devices for an hour or two before sleep
• Avoid devices in the bedroom
• Lifestyle
• Have a healthy diet of fresh food
• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day
• Get 7-9 hours’ sleep
• Try to get 30 minutes of exercise most days
• Avoid alcohol, smoking and energy drinks
• Focus on the important tasks first – priori- tise
• Focus on solutions to the things you can, let go the things you can’t
• Connect with people
• Talk things through
• Do things that make us laugh
• Doing hobbies or sports together
• Volunteering and helping others takes our attention elsewhere and reduces stress
• Set aside some ‘me time’ each week for so- cialising, relaxing, exercise