Stress affects us all.
Stress is something that occurs naturally within us, which is linked with survival and instinct, to help our bodies decide whether to have a fight or flight response to a situation. In many situations it can be very helpful!
However, in today’s modern world, especially as busy parents, looking after children and juggling EVERYTHING it’s easy to become over stressed and whilst – in most cases – we will never be able to fully combat our stress levels, what we can control is how we deal with it.
Everyone will have their own unique ways of managing stress and what works for one person may not work for another. Acknowledge stress when it occurs, notice how your stress affects you (and others around you) and start to become aware of what triggers and sustains your stress levels. You can then start to work towards positive ways of managing your stress and your reaction to it.
You can aim to:
- remove or reduce your stress triggers from your daily life
- notice your own early warning signs of stress and respond accordingly – before it feels like it’s too much
- find manageable ways to reduce the impact stress has on you and others around you. That could be anything from taking a walk or a 2-minute time out, deep breathing, or talking things through with someone impartial before reacting to a situation
A new online platform, called emberly is helping their community to enjoy a happy, stress-free life. It was designed to help people find their inner spark and their passion in life and allows people to develop professionally, personally and socially.
Their flexible, online courses are split into four categories ‘Energise’, ‘Create’, ‘Grow’ and ‘Relax’ and they include everything from ballet and hip-hop dance classes to wild art journaling, yoga and even pasta and focaccia making. They can be done solo, or, with friends and family if you want to create some special (or perhaps hilarious) memories.
emberly has shared their top 5 tips for reducing stress …
- Spend time with friends and family
– enjoy spending quality time with people you love and never underestimate the importance of that. Talk about your feelings with others and use your support network
- Spend time doing what you enjoy
– it’s definitely easier said than done but see what you can streamline to gain a bit of time back – even 5 minutes saved here and there, can give you a 30-minute chunk of time to spend doing something you love
- Set time aside for YOU every day/week/month
– if you can’t make ‘you time’ every day, then aim for once a week, or even once a month and if you can make it part of your routine – even better. As a busy parent it’s important to put yourself first sometimes - Express your creativity
– even if you don’t think of yourself as ‘creative’. This can be anything from singing along to some of your favourite songs, dancing in your living room, writing in a journal or cooking something with extra flair.
- Take care of your emotional wellbeing
– look after yourself like you would look after someone you love. If there is a negative voice in your head, ask yourself, ‘Would I say that to my best friend?’, if the answer is ‘No’, don’t say it to yourself
Explore your passions with emberly’s variety of inspiring online courses. Energise, create, grow and relax with a monthly membership and unlimited access, or purchase a single course on-demand and find what makes you glow. Visit emberly.co.uk
Follow emberly on Instagram @emberlylearn, Twitter @emberlylearn and Facebook @emberlylearn
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