Stress Buster Recipe - slow down, smell the roses!

I am sharing some of my really very simple and favourite Stress Busters and coping mechanisms to take some time out from the grind of those daily stresses.....I hope that you will find something here to inspire you.

We live life in such a hurry these days! Dashing off to the shops after work, hurrying home to cook a ready meal in minutes, do the laundry, do a quick tidy of our homes, have a quick bath, ... Phew - just writing all of this is making my heart race and I'm beginning to hyperventilate!

Stress is usually described as being under too much pressure and can cause psychological and physical symptoms such as poor sleep, irritability and feeling anxious.

Some stress is not a bad thing as it can make us more alert - an adrenalin rush or the fight / flight situation response.

There are the tragedies that happen in life, such as losing a loved one, illness, divorce, debt or losing your job causing unavoidable stress; but these stresses we have to somehow manage and learn to live with.

Then there are those daily stresses we face from work, parents, children, school, other people and deadlines, just general daily living that grind away. Added to this, are the stresses we put ourselves under trying to achieve insurmountable tasks and goals, commitments, to live up to our own and other people's expectations; beating ourselves up for not accomplishing things.

We do fast food, speed dating, trying to fit everything in in one day, running to catch a bus, a train, rushing to get to work on time, grabbing a quick cup of coffee and a bite to eat, hurrying to pick up the kids, books that have condensed version for faster reading ....holidays where we
can visit 20 countries in 20 days!

Even the shows on TV are in a rush - how often have you heard TV Presenters ending shows and interviews abruptly, even in a middle of someone sentence - because they're out of time!

And what about the fear inducing ads - hurry, before the sale ends, last chance to buy this ... or that! Even worse, I heard an ad on the radio reminding everyone that their Self Assessment Tax is due - time is running out .. they said! No wonder we live our lives thinking that don't have enough of anything, especially time - ohh the stress of it all!

These constant day in and day out daily stresses can damage our health and ability to cope. Long-term stress can mean we are at greater risk of developing a disease or even dying prematurely.

NOW may be all the time we have so slow down and take the time to smell the roses......

Learn to say NO (gracefully and politely of course!). We all want to live a life that is long and happy.

Don't forget to print out my simple Stress Buster Recipe - a gift for you.

LET'S NOT LIVE LIFE IN A HURRY ANYMORE!