Blog

5 ways to stress less 

How to Stress Less  -      

(October 2024)

Stress is a common occurrence in our lives and cannot be completely avoided. 

However with some careful managment we can  have a life that is not overrun by stress.

Follow these tips to better stress management.

1) Create a basic daily routine

Let’s face it, we are creatures of habit. If you create a basic daily routine it provides familiarity and allows your brain to free up brain power and stress less, and enables you to have power for more important decisions in the day.

 "(In fact, President Barack Obama cited decision-fatigue research as the reason for always wearing gray or blue suits while he was in office: “I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make,” he said in an interview.) "

A good routine helps us to achieve more in the day, it helps us develop good habits, ie making bed, having breakfast,  having a shower and brushing our teeth is a great morning routine that creates good habits, and can help us break bad habits too. 

Community Quests Counsellor and Psychosocial coach can help you develop a daily routine. 

2) eat healthy foods 

Explore eating more fruit and vegetables that you enjoy, Try smoothies if you find it hard to eat them. Explore new recipes that include more healthy foods. Sugary drinks though they taste good, cause sugar crashes and can leave  us feeling more stressed. 

Follow community Quests on Facebook for some healthy options. 

3) Have a good nights sleep 

Sleep is vital to our brains resting and being able to mange better throughout the day. Try to get 8-9 hours sleep a night. Create a sleep routine that helps you fall asleep better. This will help you have a good nights sleep. 

The counsellor and Psychosocial coach can support you in developing a better sleep routine.

4) Play with your pets 

Playing with your pets is not only alot of fun, but can improve your mental health wellbeing. research has shown that "Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure. Other studies have found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood."

So go ahead, play with your cat with some string or little ball, have them sit on your lap and cuddle them. or if you have a Dog, take it for a walk, ask for support if you need it, play fetch in the backyard or give it some love. Your health will thankyou and so will your pets. 

5)Listen to music

Put on yoiur favourite play list and enjoy some tunes. Music makes us feel good. It can relax us  when we are stressed if we are listening to slower tempo ( about 60 beats per minute) and bring us joy. Whilst doing research they scanned peoples Brain with a FMRI machine and discovered  that music indeed increased peoples happiness. 

"The ability of music to induce such intense pleasure and its putative stimulation of endogenous reward systems suggest that, although music may not be imperative for survival of the human species, it may indeed be of significant benefit to our mental and physical well-being." 

 (Anita J- Counsellor + quote from vanity fair.com/news + newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets + https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC58814/

Stay tuned for more tips and  resources.

Please send us an email  below on what you’d like us to write about next.

Please follow us on facebook