BEATING STRESS
56 SUPERFOODIMAGE: ELDAR NURKOVIC/SHUTTERSTOCK.COMit will help to reduce your stress levels
hugely! If you’re short on time, try not to
take on extra responsibility and say ‘no’ to
an activity if your heart isn’t truly in it.
If a task doesn’t add to your enjoyment of
life or career, then ask yourself should you
really be doing it? The more you say no, the
more time you will have to focus on what
really matters to you and the less stress
you will feel.- AVOID UNHEALTHY HABITS
Many people turn to alcohol, nicotine
(smoking) and/or caffeine when they’re
stressed, but none of these will help in the
long-term. Specifi cally, although alcohol
acts as a stimulant in small volumes, it
is a depressant when consumed in large
amounts. And as nicotine and caffeine
are natural stimulants, they may actually
increase levels of stress rather than
having a calming effect. In addition,
excessive caffeine consumption (more
than 4–5 cups of coffee a day), can impact
negatively on sleep.
Alcohol: Try to rely less on alcohol if you
use it to de-stress. One step may be to keep
it to weekends only; try swapping your
glass or two of wine for a hot bubble bath
and a magazine; your waistline will thank
you for this as well as your liver!
Smoking: Your GP or nurse has access to
successful smoking cessation schemes,
which will help you to cut down and
hopefully stop your addiction to nicotine.
Stopping smoking really is one of the best
things that you can do for your health.
Caffeine: If you love tea or coffee, but
want to consume less caffeine, why not try
alternating your drinks with decaffeinated
versions? Or better still, you could drink
water, herbal teas or even green tea, which
contain less caffeine than regular tea and
coffee. Stay hydrated throughout the day
to prevent headaches, which could add to
your stress.- GET PHYSICAL
Regular exercise helps to improve mood
and reduce levels of stress and anxiety,
which means that breaking up a stressful
day with a walk in the fresh air is
essential. Walking is one of the cheapest
and easiest forms of physical activity and
health professionals recommend trying to
hit a target of 10,000 steps (5 miles) a day.
You may be surprised at how many (or how
little!) steps you do and most smartphones
have a tracker already built into them. In
a lunch-break for example, you can walk
3,000 steps in just 30 minutes,
If you prefer other forms of activity
then aim to do it at a moderate-intensity
(i.e. your heart is beating a little faster
than usual and you feel a little warm)
150 minutes a week; 5 x 30 minutes,
in addition to strength-based training
(exercises that involve large muscle
groups) twice a week.
In addition to reducing stress, physical
activity also improves your heart health,
immunity and it burns calories too, making
weight loss easier. Regular physical activity
also helps to improve sleep.- SLEEP 7–8 HOURS A NIGHT
Being sleep deprived (sleeping less than
six hours a night) can induce stress. Sleep
is the time when our body and mind rests
and rejuvenates. It sorts out what has
gone on in the day and helps to improve
memory. Sleep also helps us metabolically
by regulating our immune system and
weight/hunger hormones too.
Ideally, we should go to bed and wake
up at similar times every day. Tips for
getting a better night’s sleep include
making sure the room is dark, cool and
peaceful, as well as avoiding caffeine late
afternoon/evening. - SPEAK TO A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER
Locking up your feelings isn’t good for
stress; after all, haven’t you heard that
a problem shared is a problem halved?
Discussing your feelings can help to
release any built-up stress and will also
help to distract you, giving you time
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