BEATING STRESS
SUPERFOOD 57to rationalise what is really going on.
Giving yourself the opportunity to discuss
important/problematic matters can also
help you to fi nd solutions.
Choose a friend or family member
that you trust and/or who makes you
smile; laughing after all is an excellent
stress reliever!- INVEST IN A GRATITUDE JOURNAL
A gratitude journal (or 5-minute journal)
is a journal that you write in once or
twice a day; usually fi rst thing in the
morning and last thing at night. You note
down at least two or three things that
you are grateful for, as well as what has
gone well in the day. Some journals even
have space for what you would like to do
better the next day, in addition to positive,
motivational quotes.
Gratitude journals have been shown
to reduce self-reported stress levels, and
when done at night can help to induce a
feeling of calm. Writing down what you are
grateful for also helps to gain clarity on
what matters to you most; and what you
should be focusing your attention on.
If you want to start a gratitude journal,
you can either use a blank diary or one
that is set out for you; keep it by your bed
to act as a reminder to fi ll it in as well as a
symbol of gratitude and appreciation when
you look at it. I personally have a 5-minute
journal and have found that it makes you
appreciate loved ones much more – and
helps you to put into perspective life’s often
meaningless troubles!- BE KIND TO YOURSELF
Speak to yourself how you would speak
to a friend as self-compassion can help to
decrease stress levels. Understand that
you’re not super-human and be realistic
about what exactly you can achieve in a
day. A tip is to add ‘buffer time’ between
your appointments/daily tasks; time when
you are allowed to procrastinate/have a
scroll through Facebook!
If tasks don’t get done, don’t beat yourself
up; simply create a new plan for the next
day about how you’re going to tackle them.
It’s often easy to push through missing
meals and burning the midnight oil,
thinking that you’ll get more done, but
your productivity levels will suffer in the
end. It’s much better to admit defeat and
call it a day; a good night’s sleep will allow
your brain to rest and recover ready for
the following day. - FOCUS ON THE NOW
Mindfulness can be defi ned as a ‘mental
state achieved by focusing your awareness
on the present moment whilst calmly
acknowledging and accepting your
feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations.’
Focusing on what is going on in the
present may help to reduce feelings of
stress; diverting our attention from
worrying about past or future events.
Deep breathing is a technique that can
help to bring about feelings of calm, as well
as imagining something that makes you
happy; for example a beach or a fl owery
meadow.- TAKE TIME TO RELAX
Don’t neglect ‘me time’. If you work long
hours it can be easy to neglect ‘pamper
time’. Make sure to schedule in activities
that you love and enjoy; it could be a facial,
a massage, a bubble bath or even a walk
with friends; just make sure to do it on a
regular basis. And if you ever become ill,
remember that’s it’s OK to take a step back
from your usual daily duties in order to get
better; you’ll recover faster that way!
I really hope you fi nd these tips useful
and we would love to hear what helps you
to live stress-free.
Nichola Whitehead is a Registered Dietitian
& Award Winning Blogger at
nicsnutrition.comSF9_P55-57_Stress SHSD.indd 57 02/02/2017 10:28