Stress is everywhere and we
can’t avoid it. It’s in our everyday
lives, in our health and well-being, in our finances, in our jobs, and in our
relationships with ourselves and others.
But some people are under more stress than others. Last weekend, I attended a charity fundraiser
for the Society of St Vincent de Paul.
The organiser told a story about a family he knew that were in
trouble. He invited the head of the
family to a restaurant to talk things over, but the guest felt guilty about
being there. They were offered the types
of bread, and his guest said “You know, here I am being offered three types of
bread, but at home I can’t even afford to put a slice on the table.”
There are many similar
stories of people facing extremely challenging circumstances. So how can we empower ourselves to help us to
stay sane and tap into our own health and wellbeing? It’s not always easy, so I hope that the
following tips will encourage you to see the light instead of living in the
darkness. Sometimes we need a torch or a
helping hand along the way. So swallow
your pride, and don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help.
State
how you feel. Speak to someone, and
don’t keep things bottled up inside.
Speak to a family member, a friend or a professional counsellor.
PCI College offer low-cost counselling (call 01 464 2268 for details of
local services) or contact the SVP.
Talk to yourself and
tell yourself that you are doing your best, no matter how bad things are. Frequently repeat to yourself “I am doing my
best” so that you can feel it in your body.
Respond to stress rather
than react. When you react to stress,
you are letting yourself feel the associated ill-effects in your body. But when you respond to it, you are
positively acting on working out the given situation.
Exercise: even the most
stressed-out person who goes for a brisk walk or jog will feel the benefit. Exercise may clear your mind of any negative
clutter, and help you to make some sense of where you are at.
Solutions: look for solutions
instead of dwelling on problems. Problems
never seem to get resolved, whereas solutions are the light at the end of the
tunnel.
Seek
help: tell
yourself “I’m worth it” over and over again.
It’s up to you to rescue yourself - nobody else can do that for you. So
take that first step and ask for help.
Tell yourself that you love yourself enough to be here living life in
every moment, wholly connected to the true loving being that you are.
No comments:
Post a Comment