Stress, we all feel it.

** It all begins with you. If you do not care for yourself you will not be strong enough to care for anything in your life.**

Firstly I apologise that I have been MIA my friends. I’m still getting the hang of this whole blogging thing and to be honest I absolutely love my IG and snapchat but I try not to let them rule my life and live in the moment a little too.

My absolute favourite quote at the moment is ‘You cannot drink from an empty cup.’

Today I wanted to talk about stress. We all feel it and some of us more than others. As a nurse working in a high pressured ward environment, stress can occur very quickly and often builds over a shift. But this is the same with many jobs and definitely with study! I am still in that study boat so I am familiar with the stress that it adds to your life.

How do I cope? Simple. Exercise. I am so fortunate that I REALLY enjoy exercise. I love the sweat, the challenge and the way I feel when I have pushed my body and succeeded. I always have. I know not everyone feels this way but hear me out. Exercise releases endorphins and it does not have to high intensity stuff. Getting yourself onto a treadmill or a spin bike and setting yourself half an hour of some walking or moderate cycling will do the trick. Not only this, but I find it clears my mind or at least distracts me so I can reboot.

Your brain needs to be fed to work well and your brain also controls your nervous system. What feeds your brain? Food! If you are not eating enough you will feel lethargic, struggle to concentrate and I personally find these things make me more vulnerable to getting emotional, anxious and stressed. No one knows better than me that the first thing many people want to reach for is a ‘cheeky’ food and just eat and eat and eat- ‘eating your feelings’ as some call it. I did it only yesterday! My boyfriend had surgery and I brought a packet of corn chips and literally ate them until they were all gone. I know I’m a stress eater especially during sports games. The secret? Give yourself healthier alternatives.

I take little packets of popcorn, protein bars and roasted chickpeas (try them before you judge- they are addictive) in my handbag and this stops me from doing silly things. I call these other options ‘cheeky’ foods because I am so aware of labelling foods as BAD or NAUGHTY. Everything in moderation is ok but achieving moderation when you have an all or nothing personality like me is next to impossible. I’m getting so much better at self control and knowing where my limits are but it is tricky. I don’t think it is healthy to beat yourself up about food but if you know you’re going to feel that way it is best to avoid those foods until you feel like you can limit yourself. If you do splurge no biggie! Just wake up the next day and CUT THE HABIT. Do not let the cycle continue. That is when things go off track. Drink heaps of water, have a good balanced breakfast and food prep your meals. Each day is a new start. Food used to cause me stress but it really is true what they say ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’.

My biggest tip with stress is to not allow it to get out of control. I went through a dark stage when I experienced work related stress and anxiety for so long that I actually couldn’t turn it of when I left the hospital. Make sure you chat to someone either a friend, your mum or sibling or partner. It is so so important. I had taken the pressure and the stress for so long that I actually felt stressed about work on holidays which is not ok considering my workload finishes when I walk out the door at the end of a shift, that is the perk of being a nurse. Eventually I needed to be medicated for my diagnosed ‘burn out’ a terrible and awful experience. The medication was a mild anti-anxiety tablet called Escitalopram and a low dose which made a huge difference to me. I came off this after 2 months and changed areas from Medical to Surgical which also helped.

Basically my tips for you when you feel stressed are these:

One. Make yourself a yummy but healthy snack (my go to is Sweet-Salty Popcorn) unless you are so beyond this that you have that block of chocolate. Stuff it. Invite a friend over and share the block, at least it’ll halve the calories.

Two. Go for a walk or go to the gym. Don’t even think about it. Put on that active wear and leave as soon as you do! Perhaps do this before you eat anything because you may be amazed at how much better you feel immediately after exercise.

Three. Text or call a friend/loved one and vent. SOOO therapeutic and often adds a bit of perspective when you say things out load.

Four. Plan something to look forward to to motivate you to get through. Also prepare yourself for the week or the day ahead by having a planner or by food preparing. The more in control you feel the less the stress seems to effect you.

Five. Spoil yourself. Get that pedicure or massage or buy that top you wanted. You deserve to feel rewarded and at the end of the day you are your own best friend. No one can or will be capable of looking after you, knowing you or feeling exactly the way you do than you can! It’s wonderful to have friends that care but sometimes it’s good to be there for yourself and get yourself through it too. Try not to let things carry on from work or Uni but if they do acknowledge it and think of ways that you will respond and recover quicker. You know you so you do you!

I hope this helps! I have experienced stress and anxiety in so many different ways over the years and I feel as though each experience is a new curve ball but one which I am learning to handle.

Thanks for reading my lovely people!
Remember:

It is not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself and try to make yourself and to try and make your happiness a priority. It is necessary.