Stress can be a contributory cause to many conditions experienced by society today Some of these issues are widely known but others may come as a surprise and we examine five as well as two coping mechanisms that we hope will help. 

Depression and anxiety.

Headaches.

It is widely recognised that stress is one of the most common causes of chronic migraines and tension headaches. Both are debilitating conditions and add to the likelihood of depression and anxiety developing.

Diabetes.

Heart conditions.

Early death.

Research has indicated that people under a great deal of stress are over 60% more likely to die at a younger age than those who are less stressed.

So what can we do?

Deep Breathing.

If suffering from a panic attack, one technique is to use a small paper bag and breathe into it filling up the bag completely when exhaling, then another deep breath and fill the bag again. Do this until the feelings pass.

This is a widely used technique, not only for panic attacks but for more general stress relief during the day, several minutes of deep breathing four times a day can produce positive results over a period of time.

Avoid Catastrophising by using Perspective. 

“What’s the worst thing that could happen to me?“.

               Answer “well, I could die.“

“Yes of course you could put has this feeling happened before?”

               Answer “yes, it has!"

“And are you still alive?“

               Answer “Yes I am!"

“Well then just console yourself with the fact that the feeling, however unpleasant and frightening, will pass."

Please be aware that we would always encourage anyone suffering from a stress related condition to seek professional medical advice.

Good luck!

Mayfair, we care.

Every one of us has probably heard countless times that exercise and a full body check-up is good for us in more than one ways.

Maintaining a well-balanced lifestyle is one of the most challenging tasks in our modern lives. There are so many pressures from our profession, social lives, personal, family issues and others.

These matters are something all of us have to deal with on a daily basis. Sometimes it can get difficult trying to find a good balance between all these equally important aspects of our lives. While others are good at finding a balance, some will struggle throughout their entire lives. 

For those who struggle a lot, there is the possibility of mental stress which may lead to mental health issues at a later stage in their lives. In dealing with this problem, many health professionals have recommended the use of exercising as a major mechanism for dealing with stressful life and ultimately improving your mental capacity in dealing with the pressures of life.

Exercising is onerous at times when we just don’t feel like it, but it has numerous benefits besides building muscles and burning fat because it can be the most effective way of eliminating stress and improving your mood. 

Making it a habit

Getting regular exercise can help your body produce brain chemicals called endorphins that are known to improve mood. You don't even need to participate in an intense exercise, a brisk 20-minute walk should be enough to help your body produce these feel-good chemicals.

The best way of making the most of exercise is to find one that you enjoy and that you will carry out regularly to help maintain your fitness levels as well as your mood. This will also improve your overall health, which is another thing to feel good about. 

Keeping a consistent exercising routine will help improve your mental health and will, in turn, increase your capacity to juggle between your profession, family, social and all the important activities that make life worth living.

While this benefit is quite obvious, many people do not have the discipline to carry it through for a consistent period of time.  Statistics made available by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that people suffering from mental problems such as depression, amounts to about 300 million.

That is a huge and shocking number by all standards.

Fortunately, this is a problem that can easily be avoided if people took matters into their own hands. (http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression)  By exercising, a person is able to improve his or her mood, reduce symptoms of stress, anger, and depression, and ease anxiety and reduce cognitive decline.

Endorphins are hormones in the body that help improve your mood when the body inactive. Exercises such as running, jogging or walking are a few routines that can help you increase your endorphins.  Another form of hormones that improve your mental alertness is neutrophils and monoamines. This is related to the white blood cells. The white blood cells improve on your immune system with assistance from the neutrophils and monoamines.

Mayfair, we care.

Self-care is not high on our list of priorities until something bad happens. We need to avoid this and to become more aware of the messages that our mind and body are sending to us all the time.

Here are three essential issues that you should watch out for:

You have trouble falling asleep

You’re exhausted but you can’t get to sleep. These problems often occur when your nervous system is not behaving itself and is a sign that all is not well. You will need to devote some time to try and rebalance your system

Concentration levels drop.

Deadlines are looming and you’re running out of time, but you simply can’t focus. You find yourself attending to unimportant issues and leaving more pressing tasks half done. The important ones don’t even get started! Why can’t you focus?

The truth might be that you need a break and complete rest from what you are doing.

Small things irritate you.

The slightest problem sets you off. The doorbell rings and your mobile phone goes at the same time and you just feel that you can’t cope.

This is a sign that you are not yourself and that your mind is overloaded.

What to do about it

Decide to take better care of yourself – now.

Choose one thing that you will do every day to assist the feelgood factor.

This could be getting regular exercise or going to bed early, meditation or socialising but whatever you choose, do it consistently.

Don’t be over ambitious

It is pointless to set yourself an exercise target that is unachievable.

Set achievable targets for yourself and the satisfaction when you accomplish these targets will be immense. The targets can be revised as necessary.

Take a break.

Taking a break makes you feel stronger, refreshed and re-energises you.

Start exercising in a way that you would enjoy. A jog or walk in the sunshine, a swim, your favourite sport – all of these things and many more will improve your mood.

In summary, there is only you that knows how you feel therefore it is your responsibility to take good care of yourself and hopefully these simple hints and tips will help.

Mayfair, we care.