We’re officially in the second half of 2017, which means you’re probably hanging out for a holiday right about now. But even if you don’t have a luxurious getaway planned, you can still make it through the rest of the year with your sanity in tact.
We asked Nik Toth, qualified holistic nutritionist, personal trainer, health coach and the founder of of The Lean Body Formula, to share her top five tips for minimising stress during the home stretch of 2017.
Change your patterns
With my clients I find that one of the biggest causes of stress (other than their health) can be procrastination. We’ve all been there; a task has landed in our lap and we don’t want to do it.
So what do you do in that situation? Do you dig deep and get the task over and done with, or do you let it sit and stress about the situation?
Here is my tip. Whenever there is something you don’t want to do, drop everything (if you can) and get it done immediately. If that can’t be done, then schedule it in for first thing in the morning. The sooner it is done, the better you will feel. You may also find that you set yourself up for a far more productive day as a result.
Try a digital-free day
In this day and age of social media and emails, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of work. The problem is that if you are switched “on” everyday, it can make it difficult to wind down. This may contribute to heightened stress levels (including an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone) and ultimately becoming sick or run down.
Make sure you take at least one full day off work per week, your health will thank you for it. Further to this, try to get offline at a reasonable hour each night. If you usually go to bed at 10pm, try turning your emails off at 8pm so you have 2 hours to relax before bed. You may find that you get a far more restful sleep as a result.
Make time to exercise and look after yourself
We are all guilty of making excuses when it comes to exercise and our health, often citing that we are too busy/tired/have too much going on. But at the end of the day, if we don’t have our health then what do we have?
Make time every day to move, even if it is just a 20-minute walk or stretch. Something is better than nothing. Looking after your body is important for all other aspects of your life so make sure that it takes priority.
Eliminate
Is there something in your life or on your to-do list that makes you feel stressed and unhappy? Is it possible to eliminate the stress from your life with minimal consequences?
Well if it is, then do it. If that additional thing on your to-do list is not a priority and won’t make much difference to the outcome then eliminate it. If your relationship or your job is making you unhappy then look for alternative options. If your friends are causing you stress, well do you really need to see them tonight?
Think of the things in your life that cause you the most upset, and if you can minimise their impact, do it.
Book a healthy mini break
I am a huge fan of booking mini breaks throughout the year as it keeps me motivated and gives me something to work towards. I like to ensure that the majority of my breaks are healthy ones, because even though I am a health coach, I still spend a lot of my time in front of a computer!
Follow Nik Toth, the Lean Body Coach on Instagram and Facebook.
