This post is written by Sarah Bateup. Sarah is a qualified Psychotherapist and also the Clinical Lead at PsychologyOnline who provide live one-to-one psychological therapy over the internet. For more information visit their website here.
Many of us feel that the speed of life has increased. We want rapid transport, instant communication and even faster internet connections. Businesses offer fast food, quick fixes and instant solutions. Yet as the pace of life continually increases we may feel a huge pressure to keep up, and as a result stress related illnesses have become more prevalent.
Stress is the result of an imbalance between the demands made upon us and the personal resources we have to deal with these demands. Imagine this as a bank account: if there is too much demand on the account it will go into the red, which is comparable to being under stress.
We all have different temperaments but for certain people life can feel like a constant rush, and you may be in a hurry from one activity or achievement to another on a continual basis. Similarly, balancing working life and family life can be a challenge for men and women alike.
As life becomes busier we can set ourselves unrealistic goals. We may aim for the “perfect” family life, to be the perfect parent and also aim to perform well at work. Magazines and the media can place increased pressure on us to create the perfect home, to look perfect and to have perfect children. In addition to these expectations we can have money worries, family disputes, additional workload and lack of time and we can soon run into a “stress overdraft”.
To help combat these stresses and demands, follow this advice to help you find a bit more balance and relief:
1. Slow down and take one thing at a time. Don’t force yourself to juggle lots of things at once.
2. Take a break! Timetable yourself a little bit of me-time, and give yourself some slack.
3. Learn to be mindful. Being attentive of what is happening in your life, and taking the time to take into consideration the different demands and pressures you feel, can be a very helpful way of coping with stress.
4. Express your feelings and talk to someone about how you’re coping. Whether this is someone close to you like a partner or friend, or if it is to a therapist or counsellor, it is still a way to deal with stress. Lower you expectations, if you need to. Nobody can ‘have it all’ – try to overcome a perfectionist frame-of-mind.
5. Make time to do things YOU enjoy. Stop and think what it is you would really like to do – have a bath? Meet up with friends for dinner? Watch a film or read a book?
6. Rank priorities and try to think about what really is important, and what could actually wait.
If necessary, 7. seek help, speak to your GP.
