Tag: Stress

7 Simple Ways to Live a Stress-Free Life

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. Stress is a major health challenge for everyone today. As such, it’s critical that we all learn how to manage it today. The following contributed post is entitled, 7 Simple Ways to Live a Stress-Free Life.

* * *

In the whirlwind of daily responsibilities and commitments, stress can often seem like an unavoidable part of life. However, adopting certain habits and lifestyle changes can significantly reduce stress levels and enhance overall well-being. Here are seven simple ways to cultivate a more relaxed and stress-free life, including the use of natural remedies.

1. Prioritize Time Management

Effective time management is a critical step toward a stress-free life. By organizing your schedule and setting realistic goals, you can avoid the pressure of last-minute rushes and the anxiety of unmet deadlines. Use tools like calendars, planners, or digital apps to keep track of your tasks and commitments. Prioritize your tasks based on importance and urgency, and don’t be afraid to delegate when necessary.

2. Engage in Regular Physical Activity

Exercise is a powerful stress reliever. It not only improves your physical health but also increases the production of endorphins, your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters. You don’t need to engage in intense workouts to reap these benefits; even regular walks, yoga sessions, or light jogging can significantly improve your mood and reduce stress.

via Pexels

3. Maintain a Balanced Diet

What you eat has a profound impact on your stress levels. Consuming a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains provides the necessary nutrients to fuel your body and mind. Avoid excessive caffeine and sugar, which can increase anxiety and contribute to mood swings.

4. Get Adequate Sleep

A good night’s sleep is crucial in managing stress. Sleep helps your brain and body to recover from the day’s stresses. Aim for 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. Establish a calming bedtime routine, and try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to regulate your sleep cycle.

5. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation are effective techniques for reducing stress. These practices involve focusing on your breath and being present in the moment, which can help you gain a calmer and more focused mind. Dedicate a few minutes each day to these practices, and you may find significant reductions in stress and anxiety.

6. Foster Strong Social Connections

Social support is vital in managing stress. Spend time with family and friends who uplift and encourage you. Sharing your thoughts and concerns with others can help you feel less overwhelmed and more understood. Additionally, being there for others can also provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment, further reducing stress.

7. Explore Natural Remedies

Natural remedies can be a gentle way to reduce stress without the side effects of conventional medicine. Herbal teas, such as chamomile, lavender, and green tea, are known for their calming properties. Essential oils like lavender, bergamot, and frankincense can be used in aromatherapy to help soothe the mind and body. Furthermore, supplements such as magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, and even Delta 8 THC vape carts have been shown to help alleviate symptoms of stress. However, it’s important to consult with a healthcare provider before starting any new supplements.

Conclusion

Living a stress-free life is more about managing how you respond to stress than eliminating it entirely. By incorporating these seven simple strategies into your daily routine, you can improve your ability to cope with life’s challenges and maintain a calmer, more fulfilling life. Remember, the key to managing stress is consistency and a willingness to take proactive steps towards your mental health.

Minimize Moving Day Nerves With These Clever Tactics

A key focus of my blog is Home and Living Discussions. A key focus of living in your home or dwelling is moving in and out. Moving is not a particularly fun activity and can be highly stressful. There are ways to minimize moving-related stress. The following contributed post is entitled, Minimize Moving Day Nerves With These Clever Tactics.

* * *

Even the calmest of people can have their nerve testing when it comes to moving house. After all, there is so much to consider, including making sure your furniture is transported and packed safely. Then you have the mammoth task of unpacking in your new property and getting things the way that you want them there too. It’s no wonder people tear their hair out. The good news, however, is that there are some tactics you can use to minimize your moving day stress. Keep reading to find out what they are.

Picture sourced at Pixabay – License CC0

Keep your essentials aside

Documents, jewellery, medication and most importantly of all, supplies for making coffee are all items that you will want to keep an eye on during a move. For the first three, it is a matter of access and security, while for the last one is more about energy and sanity!

With that in mind, making a pile of essential items that you want to keep with you is a smart idea. You can then quickly load them into your vehicle and be sure that they won’t get lost in the hustle and bustle of the move.

Make sure your move is smooth (ahead of time)

You can cut out a lot of moving day stress by doing as much as you can to make sure things go smoothly ahead of time. One option is to make sure you have packed and sealed all your boxes well before your moving team arrives. Marking them with the room they should be taken to in the new house is a smart idea as well.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to get all of your paperwork in order before the big day. Let utility providers know when you will be moving out ahead of time, and be sure to book any deep cleans so they can be done before the handover.

Finally, make sure that you have all your documents in order. After all, there is nothing quite as soul-destroying as packing up your old place and then being denied entry to your new property because of a problem with payment or references.

With that in mind, you may wish to take measures to do things like expunge your criminal record before you buy or lease a new property. Something that can help make the princess go much more smoothly, and without any unexpected hitches.

Make things easy on yourself

Finally, when it comes to moving home, remember that it can be both a physically exhausting experience as well as a mentally exhausting one. To that end, do all you can to help make the day as easy as possible, including asking friends and other family members if they will come and help with the heavy lifting.

Of course, if you haven’t got anyone close by that you can rely on, using a professional moving company can be a brilliant way of reducing the physical stress of moving day. Services such as Issaquah moving service can make your move go much smoother.

Picture located at Pixabay – License CC0

Lastly, be sure to keep your strength up by regularly eating too. With that in mind, pack a bag full of snacks like cereal bars and a planet of drink to keep you hydrated. Additionally, expect to pay for takeout in the evening, as this means you won’t have to have your kitchen all unpacked by the time you get hungry.

Taking Care of Yourself Under Stress

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. Anyone who has battled stress knows that it’s a killer in terms of your personal health. There can be a number of potential negative outcomes when it comes to stress and thus it’s important to know how to manage it. The following contributed post is entitled, Taking Care of Yourself Under Stress.

* * *

Source – CC0 Licence

We all struggle with stress at one time or another. It can range from mild worry to stress that takes over our every waking thought and exhibits physical symptoms. Stress can make it hard to focus and take our enjoyment out of life. It can make it hard to work. It can affect your relationships and even your health.

Stress often comes and goes. When we’ve got a lot on at work, are busy in our personal lives or trying to cope with a global pandemic, we feel stressed out, but it doesn’t always last. As soon as things calm down, and we feel more in control, our stress levels start to relax. But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, we’re dealing with a situation that drags on and on or seems to take over our lives completely. Perhaps living through illness or facing a case that means you need help from an Immigration Law Firm, or, a combination of things piling up, causing you to feel suffocated by your stress.

When you’re stressed out, it becomes hard to look after yourself. You might feel as though you don’t have the energy, or the interest, to practice self-care or even the most basic of personal care. But it’s important that you do. Fail to take care of yourself, and things will only get worse. Let’s take a look at some of the things that you can do to make self-care easier when you are dealing with immense stress.

Write Some Lists

Stress often makes it hard to organize your thoughts. You might be stressed out because you’ve got so much to do but feel as though you just don’t know what to do first, and the idea of adding something as small as exercising, or food shopping to your mounting to-do list can be unbearable.

Lists can help. Lists make it easier to prioritize and to manage your time. They also help things look smaller. When your tasks are written out, and you can cross things off, they might not seem so insurmountable.

If they do, write smaller lists. Focus on the things that you need to do today, writing short, easy to action lists, and worry about the rest later on.

Get Help

There’s typically more help available than you think, it’s just hard to see it when you are stressed out and tired. Ask for help from your family, friends and employer, and search online for any specific help or advice that you may need.

Focus on One Thing at a Time

If you are stressed out because you have so much to do, stop and take a step back. Focus on one task at a time, and don’t let yourself think about anything else until you are done.

Accept Feelings as they Come

Stress can cause feelings of anxiety, worry, sadness and anger. And there’s very little that you can do about it. Accept these emotions as they come, instead of trying to ignore them.

Let Yourself Laugh

Laughter is a powerful medicine and will often reduce stress and ease worry. Spend time doing things that you enjoy, with people that make you smile, and you may soon start to feel more at peace.

Why Won’t The Weight Of Stress Leave Your Shoulders?

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. Stress has so many effects on personal health and literally kill you. As such it’s understand how to minimize and manage stress. If you’re trying to reduce stress, it’s important to zero in on what you can do to alleviate it. The following contributed post is entitled, Why Won’t The Weight Of Stress Leave Your Shoulders?

* * *

Stress is one of the most common wellbeing issues experienced by people of all ages and backgrounds. Sadly, its omnipresence does very little to contain the negative impacts it can have on your quality of life. Worse still, if you follow the same processes as always, you cannot expect to see an improvement in the results.

With this in mind, identifying the reasons for your stress is a key step en route to recovery. Here are some of the most common sources that you may need to tackle head-on.

Pixabay CC0 License

1) Physical Problems

Physical health and mental health are very closely linked. Therefore, if an underlying health issue is left untreated, the restrictions it places on your life will cause stress. It’s not only the major or life-threatening issues that matter, either. Even something as simple as muscle soreness can put your mental wellbeing at risk. Whatever type of issue you experience, the key is to take quick action. The sooner you can put this discomfort behind you, the sooner your mind will start to clear.

2) Bad Influencers

People hold the key to your happiness, but they can also cause a great deal of stress and anguish. Sadly, most people that fall victim to bad influencers don’t even realise it right away. Sometimes the issues can be saved. For example, the Hart Centre offers marriage counselling that can get couples back on track. Then again, there are times where you should walk away from a bad relationship or a bad friendship. Even when it’s a sibling that keeps asking for money, taking a step back can work wonders for stress levels in the long run.

3) Financial Worries

Pixabay CC0 License

It is no surprise that stress, anxiety, and depression have all increased in parallel to the growing frequency of debtors. When you find yourself faced with financial difficulties, you must seek a quick solution. This could manifest itself as debt relief. Maybe you’ll find that managing your funds in an effective manner. Or making short-term sacrifices will deliver the results you crave. Either way, the knowledge that your financial status is moving in the right direction will pay dividends.

4) Legal Matters

Nothing stops you from being able to plan your future like legal uncertainties. When facing a pending court case, even if it’s something like a motoring offence, it can feel scary. Finding an expert like Tony Raunic to present your case can make a big difference. Aside from boosting your hopes of getting the right decision at your hearing, the advice they give beforehand is telling. The clarity of what to expect makes the process far less daunting while you’ll have a better insight into the best, worst, and most likely result.

5) Wasted Time

The thought that life is passing you by can be an awful thing. Sadly, it encourages you to procrastinate even more. Setting clear goals is the first step to going out and achieving them. On a separate note, you should learn to rid yourself of needless distractions. Avoiding social media when it leaves you feeling inferior is a great example. Conversely, spending more time appreciating the positives in your life can develop a heightened sense of worth. While it won’t remove stress entirely, it can reduce the impacts it has.

5 Simple Ways to Combat Stress While Working From Home

Three of the focuses of my blog are Career Discussions, Current Events and Health/Wellness. The Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis/Pandemic has caused many workers to work at home which hasn’t been a simple adjustment for everyone. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Simple Ways to Combat Stress While Working From Home.

* * *

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Coronavirus has drastically affected business both large and small around the world. And because of the global pandemic, many have had to work from home instead of the usual office setting that they are used to. This change has affected the ability to work for those not familiar with a remote routine, leading to countless feelings of stress and as though they are on edge.

But to be as successful as possible within your role, it’s important to identify methods that will help to relax you – so that you’re feeling as productive and motivated each day.

Although it’s undeniable that you might not be as engaged as you would in your work setting when you’re among your colleagues, it’s still important to seek techniques that guarantee you get your work completed on time. But if you’re unsure as to where to start, then it might be a bit daunting. To help guide you, here are 5 approaches you could take:

1. Create a Dedicated Workplace

When working from home, it’s important to create a dedicated workplace – and to not sit in your living room on the couch or in another busy environment. By opting to sit and work in a loud part of your home, you’ll only feel stressed and as though you can’t complete tasks to the best of your abilities.

So to prevent this from happening, consider creating a home office that you can comfortably work in. This won’t only help your concentration levels, but will also be more ergonomic – especially if you have an adjustable office chair.

2. Keep in Contact with Colleagues and Loved Ones

During this time, it’s only natural to feel isolated when you’re at home all the time. And even though life is gradually getting back to normal, many people are still working from home either full time or part of the time. If you’re feeling isolated and stressed, then it’s essential that you try and stay in contact both with your colleagues and with loved ones.

Human interaction is vital throughout your working day and it’s something that shouldn’t be ignored. Giving you a little pick me up, these virtual video calls will make all the difference to how you’re feeling.

3. Take Breaks Throughout The Day

Although this might seem like an obvious one, it’s still worth a mention – especially during the coronavirus outbreak when you may feel limited as to what you can do. Taking breaks throughout the day is critical to recharging your brain and giving yourself that much-needed breather.

Without doing this, it’s clear that your mental health will start to suffer. So make sure you take time out away from your screen and manage any feelings of stress. Even just 10 minutes or so away from the desk will help you to refresh.

You could spend these breaks going on a walk nearby, baking something delicious or doing anything activity that doesn’t revolve around a screen. Just make sure that when you’re doing this you’re following the social distancing guidelines!

When work is finished, you can then have a cooling down period in which you unwind. Some people might take this time to understand the importance of grow cabinets if they use cannabis to relax, or another activity they enjoy doing.

4. Establish a Working Routine (And Try to Stick to it)

Without a schedule in place, you might feel as though you’re struggling to find a balance between your work time and your personal time. These blurred lines could start to make you feel stressed and as though you never have time to unwind.

It’s therefore a good idea to create a daily schedule. Within this time, you could list exactly when you’re going to work (which will usually align with your core working hours) and when you will stop work for the day.

Although this is a simple trick, it can prove to be invaluable not only in this time but in the future if you have to work from home again.

5. Switch Off

As part of your downtime, it’s also worth putting your phone and any other technology away at least two hours before you sleep. At the moment, the news and social media are incredibly negative, so instead of focusing on this before you go to bed, consider opting for reading a book or another activity.

When working from home, you want to ensure that your sleeping pattern is as good as possible with no disruptions. This is therefore a beneficial practice to do each night, to allow you to fall asleep more naturally.

Final Thoughts

So, there you go! Those are 5 simple methods that you can use to help you to relax and combat sleep while working from home.

The methods that you use, of course, is up to you. But whatever proactive steps you take towards ensuring that you manage your levels of stress, while remaining engaged the more successful you will be.

Are You Struggling With Stress At Work? Here’s What To Do

Two of the focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and Health/Wellness. Regardless of which career you are in, stress can be detrimental to anyone’s health. In some instances it’s the career that’s causing one stress. The following contributed post is entitled, Are You Struggling With Stress At Work? Here’s What To Do.

* * *

You might find that you are experiencing stress in the workplace. Job satisfaction is at a low point right now so this isn’t particularly uncommon. The main thing is that you act on it and make the right changes and there are numerous steps that you can take here. Remember, if you do nothing then stress will begin to impact various aspects of your health. It can hurt you mentally and physically. So, what steps should you take?

Pexels Source CCO License

Speak To Your Employer

If you are feeling stressed at work, then it might be worth speaking to your employer or your boss. Remember, they do have a level of responsibility here. Part of their role in ensuring that they are supporting you both mentally and physically. Of course, if you are struggling with the workload or you feel like you are under too much pressure, you should speak up. Many will avoid doing this because they are often worried that it will put their job at risk. However, ideally, your employer should provide you with a solution that will help you cope with your role more effectively while maintaining your position.

Find A Different Position

Of course, it is possible that what you need to do here is find a different position or even explore a new industry. This could be the case if you are struggling constantly and you feel as though your current position is no longer the right choice for you. It can be difficult and even frightening to start again in your career, but sometimes it can be worth taking this step. At the very least, you might want to consider working for a different company. This could be worth doing if you find that you get no support from your employer when you bring this issue forward.

Seek Professional Support

If you are struggling with your mental health, then you might also want to seek professional support. The benefit of doing this is that you will be able to get to the root of the issue. It’s possible that you don’t fully understand why you feel stressed. If that’s the case then a telehealth service can help here. You can work with an expert to dig deep into what you are feeling and how it is impacting you.

Try Exercise

It’s a simple option but you might find that exercise does benefit you if you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed at work. The reason for this is that exercise provides you with a way to work off the tension and get better. It offers a possibility of how you can relax through the day because you will be working on yourself. It is possible to workout in your office with certain exercises or simply go for a run in your lunch break. Either of these options could be highly beneficial to you in the long run.

We hope this helps you understand some of the best ways to tackle stress in the workplace and ensure that you do improve your physical and mental wellbeing at the same time.

3 Reasons Why It Pays to Reduce Stress in Your Life

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. Most people don’t proactively consider the effects of stress in their lives. Instead they live reactively and sometimes suffer from the effects of stress and the resulting negative health effects. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Reasons Why It Pays to Reduce Stress in Your Life.

* * *

Pixabay CC0 License

There’s no denying that life over the last hundred years has become infinitely better for the majority of people around the world, in all sorts of ways that are quite easy to track and measure – ranging from things like access to healthcare, to material well-being, and general safety.

Nonetheless, research continually finds that people are becoming increasingly more stressed as time goes on, and there seem to be a variety of colliding factors at the moment which serve to make modern life stressful and uptight in a way that can be difficult to properly get a handle on.

For all that, it can be extremely beneficial to look for ways to reduce stress in your life to the best of your ability – whether that means hiring intermediaries such as Process Servers to handle otherwise tricky and uncomfortable aspects of your work routine, or whether it simply means giving yourself more permission to take things easy at home from time to time without placing undue expectations on yourself.

Here are some reasons why it pays to reduce stress in your life.

Because you will be more empowered to make decisions and take action from a position of strength

When all is said and done, a state of chronic stress is essentially the same thing as feeling perpetually under threat and overwhelmed – which, in other words, means that you will tend to be dealing with life and its various challenges from a position of weakness.

There are various negative consequences to this, including the fact that operating from a position of perceived weakness will make you more paranoid and anxious, less likely to be proactive, and more cynical in general.

Whether you simply want to have a higher quality of life as a general thing, or whether you specifically want to perform better in a professional capacity, you will be better served by the ability to make decisions and take action from a position of strength.

Cultivating the ability to relax – and cultivating a relaxed demeanour in general – may therefore actually make you more effective and “in control” than you would otherwise be.

Because you will project a more positive and confident aura

In life and in business, there are real benefits to being able to interact with people in a generally positive and confident way – without, at the same time, falling into the trap of being arrogant or appearing overly domineering.

The more you’re able to relax in everyday life, the higher the likelihood is that you will naturally embody and exude a more positive and confident aura. This, in turn, will tend to make a better impression on the people you interact with, which will then tend to lead to a downstream cascade of other positive effects.

Because life will simply feel better across the board

Beyond the fact that it can impair your ability to work effectively, communicate effectively, and so on, being chronically stressed simply feels bad and will naturally detract from your overall quality of life and sense of well-being.

Although we all have an assortment of particular ambitions for our lives, it’s universal that people generally want to be happy, and want to be able to derive satisfaction and joy from their everyday experience of life.

Being relaxed and calm is a major component in being contented, and in being able to develop and maintain a sense of happiness, in general.

Signs that Stress is Having an Impact on your Health

A key focus of my blog is Health and Wellness. Stress is a known killer and can have numerous negative effects on your health. Understanding the signs is critical as it can prevent you from getting seriously sick. The following contributed post is entitled, Signs that Stress is Having an Impact on your Health.

* * *

If you are under a great deal of pressure at work, then you may find that you are unable to focus on anything else. Over time this can really take its toll on your body and this is the last thing that you need when you already have so much going on. If you want to help yourself here, then there are a few things that you can do.

Source: Pexels (CC0 License)

Insomnia

Have you ever found it difficult to fall asleep? This is even the case if you are tired at night. Either way, you might have insomnia. It may be that your body is all out of fuel and stress is the only thing keeping you going. Having trouble actually staying asleep is also your body’s way of telling you that something needs to change. If you are having a really hard time sleeping, then it’s a good idea for you to talk with your doctor as they will be able to give you the support you need to get a consistent sleeping pattern.

Not Being Able to Lose Weight

If you are finding it hard to lose the weight that you have gained, then this is your body’s way of trying to tell you something. There is no exact science to dieting, but it may be that you are dieting in an unhealthy way or one that is not suited to your bodily needs. If you just can’t find a solution, then it’s a good idea for you to talk to your doctor to see if they can do anything to analyse your weight problem while also finding out of stress is to blame.

Digestive system

When you are under stress, your liver will produce additional blood sugar. This will give you a boost of energy. This ultimately means that you are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Sometimes you may also feel inclined to reach for junk food in order to give yourself that rush, which can rot your teeth. If you have problems with your teeth then you may be able to get same day dental crowns but at the end of the day, you need to deal with the source of the problem. There are a few ways that you can do this, such as by reaching for carrot sticks instead of sweets or even by trying to avoid junk food altogether so that you can take better care of your dental and digestive health.

Central Nervous System

Your central nervous system is essentially in charge of your fight or flight responses. In the brain, the hypothalamus will get the ball rolling and this will tell the adrenal gland to release stress hormones. These hormones will increase your heartbeat and it will also send blood to the areas that need it the most. When the source of the fear has gone, the hypothalamus then needs to tell everything else to go back to normal. If this doesn’t happen the stress can continue, and in some instances it can lead to certain behaviours.

Don’t Put Your Job Before Your Health

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two key focuses are Career Discussions and Health/Wellness. A significant portion of the lives of employees is spent at their jobs, such that their jobs can almost become the basis for their lives. As such they can have adverse effects on the employee’s personal health. There must thus be a balance. The following contributed post is entitled, Don’t Put Your Job Before Your Health.

* * *

Pixabay. CCO Licensed.

Many of us work hard so that we may be able to enjoy a better quality of life. However, hard work can have the opposite effect and it can make our quality of life worse by damaging our health. Here are several ways in which you should you be putting your health first.

Don’t put off seeing a doctor

Many of us don’t take time off work to see a doctor. This can cause health concerns to get gradually worse. Whether you’ve got an employer or you happen to be your own boss, there’s no excuse not to see a doctor. You can schedule an appointment with a primary care doctor in advance allowing you to time to make arrangements or you can look into out-of-hours services. There are even doctors that you can call out to your workplace.

Pay attention to health and safety

Health and safety in the workplace is important. Make sure that you’re wearing the right equipment to protect yourself against injuries and follow safety protocols to minimize further injuries. If you’re self-employed, it’s your job to implement these health and safety measures. Consider talking to a health and safety adviser who can help you to introduce health and safety measures into your business.

Protect against RSIs

RSIs (repetitive strain injuries) often get overlooked because they’re long-term. However, these injuries are just as important to avoid, so that your quality of life isn’t negatively affected later on. If your job involves a repeated action such as typing, make sure that your posture and hand position is right as you type to avoid strain (ideally, your wrist should be the same level as your keyboard). Using specific equipment may also help to prevent RSIs in certain cases. For instance, power tools that don’t vibrate as much are less likely to lead to RSIs.

Know when to take a break

Everybody needs a break now and again. If you’ve recently sustained an injury, taking a break from work could be essential for helping it to heal, especially if certain job tasks are likely to aggravate the injury. Taking a break could also be important if you’re experiencing a lot of stress at work. As well as causing mental health problems, stress can take its toll on your physical health leading to high blood pressure and fatigue. In fact, stress is thought to be a leading cause of heart attacks. A break could not just allow you a chance to destress, but it could help you gain perspective as to whether your job is worth the stress.

Dipping Into Our Mental Reserves: Coping With A Long Hospital Stay

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. It’s difficult to undergo a medical procedure in itself, but it can be more difficult when there is a prolonged stay in the hospital. Long stays in the hospital can create a different level of stress aside from the medical sickness itself and it’s important to understand how to cope under such circumstances. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Dipping Into Our Mental Reserves: Coping With A Long Hospital Stay.

* * *

Source

It can feel like when we spend a long period of time undergoing treatment, or feeling that we are living in a hospital, all self-respect goes out the window. It can mean a long tenure under harsh artificial lighting, wailing patients, surrounded by grimness, and just longing to be home. So how can we build up our mental reserves to cope?

Have A Plan
Structure is the key when we feel any sense of imprisonment. And we can argue that, in many ways, being in hospital for such a long time can result in feeling like we are trapped. But this is why, to ensure that our mental reserves are a strong as possible, that we stick to a structure. Think about things to occupy you during the day, but also, ensure that you address your moments of weakness. By having a plan in mind, this serves you well by occupying your mind, but also gives you the chance to look to the future. You would be quite surprised as to how much a structure can give you a sense of focus.

Seek Support
When we feel guilt, or anger, it’s about ensuring we get some form of outlet. Depending on the situation that you are in hospital in the first place, you may have a lot of resentment because of the situation. It’s important that if you seek closure, or you feel that it’s not a chapter that will close itself, that you seek the appropriate help. This could be legal representation, such as Frekhtman & Associates, or it could be any counselor. Whatever is necessary, you should think about seeking support, because this is what will keep your morale up.

Understanding Your Grief And Stress
In a stressful time, we’re going through periods of uncertainty, and we need to learn that what we’re going through is, although it doesn’t feel like it, normal. When surrounded by people in a hospital environment that are going through life or death situations, and feeling that we are in a warzone of some proportion, realizing that we have these feelings of stress and anxiety means that it’s the first step towards seeking appropriate help and treatment. When it comes to extreme emotions and thoughts, you need to speak to a professional. For those that have depressive episodes, this is normal, and when you feel like this, it’s important to remember that these emotions are fleeting, but what you can do in the meantime is learn to either channel these emotions into something positive or get over the symptomatic feelings of stress. Fight or flight is a very common emotion, especially when faced with our own mortality. And in some respects, this sense of adrenaline can get us through a stressful situation, but as we know, in the modern world, feeling like this all of the time will only deplete our energy stores. And this is where you have to seek out your own form of treatment. A lot of people talk about mindfulness as a very positive practice, as is meditation, but have you ever tried to sit there and think of nothing? When you’re feeling stressed, it’s impossible! So instead, harness the power of deep breathing, because this can give you control over your nervous system, meaning that as you build up your stores, you can learn to tackle all the negativity in your mind.

It’s a veritable collection of ups and downs, and when we are undergoing long-term treatment or spending time in hospital, you can feel like it will never end. But this is where we have to dip into our mental reserves and learn how to build them up.