Time to press pause on your day

Living with high levels of stress can significantly impact both our emotional and physical health, so it can be helpful to find ways to manage our stress levels, build resilience and press pause so we can learn to live one day at a time.

Because living with stress can stop us from thinking clearly and the deeper we sink into stress the further we drift away from clear thinking. As a result, our perception of reality will be altered and we will lose our ability to solve problems. This will then block our ability to access our usual resources used for coping and the situation we are in could start to quickly escalate.

So the goal must be to better understand the different types of stress we all face each day, where it comes from, what the triggers are and how stress impacts us so we can learn how to relieve any pressure and feel as if we can start to regain control again. However, it’s important to understand that we are not all equal when it comes to dealing with stress and some personality types are more prone to stress than others.

Three main personality types and how prone they are to stress:

Type A – Characterized by strong extraversion, hyperactivity, a feeling of permanent urgency, plus easy to express anger and above all a professional over-investment. Their fundamental belief is to be the best, with no room for error and to be seen as brilliant or a social success. This personality type finds it really difficult to focus or press pause on their day so they are prone to stress and does also run the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
Type B – Calm and cooperative, this personality type finds it easy to press pause on their day and is much less prone to stress.
Type C – Introverted and expressing few needs, internalizes negative emotions and constraints. This personality type can press pause and is subject to lower stress levels, but in a different way to type A because they are a perfectionist who can have low self-esteem. They can be described as having a ‘false hope’ and runs the risk of suffering from anxiety, depression and burnout.

But no matter what your personality type, if we all try to live a healthier life, stay hydrated and eat a balanced diet we will have the energy we need to tackle stress head-on before it takes hold. And try our simple meditation technique or get plenty of sleep, because relaxation can be a vital part of how we learn to overcome stressful situations as they arise and spot any rise in stress levels early as they are just starting to build.

A simple Meditation Technique

This simple meditation technique will give you an opportunity to better understand exactly how you are feeling, so you are totally in that moment and able to switch off all other thoughts. It will help you become more mindful in a matter of minutes and really ground you in the present, so you can start to reduce stress but pressing pause on your day and really start listening to your senses.

Before you start, remember to let the people around you know you are taking some time out to sit quietly and focus on your breathing:

Find a quiet place – You can sit in a chair with your hands resting on your knees, cross-legged on the floor, or kneel down. You just need to be relaxed, comfortable and have your back straight. If sitting in silence feels a bit strange at first, don’t worry, it’s perfectly OK.
Gaze into the distance – Try not to focus on anything in particular, just let your eyes slowly de-focus. As your vision starts to blur, close your eyes and relax.
Breathe deeply – Take a deep breath in through the nose, and then out through your mouth. Do this at least five times and listen to your breathing so you can clear your mind.
Stay like this for as long as you need – Breath gently and focus on your senses. Only notice what your body is feeling at that moment. When you feel ready, gently open your eyes and enjoy the feeling of calm. You are now ready to take on the world.

When we fully understand stress, we can help both our clients and ourselves build resilience so we live a balanced life that is healthier, happier and more productive. Our exclusive kit has been developed to enable you to confidently deliver an interactive half-day ‘understanding stress’ workshop and supports you in a range of discussions that will help your clients understand stress and how it impacts their everyday lives and the people around them.

The kit has everything you need to run the workshop including a professional presentation, full speakers notes, a facilitator guide and a handout. You have a range of interactive exercises and plenty of optional discussion points you can incorporate if you wanted to expand this out into a longer session.

Check out the understanding stress workshop kit in our online shop:

Kit : Understanding Stress Workshop – The presentation can be used for a face to face or online workshop, and is designed to be fully interactive. As well as the exercises listed, the kit includes 12 optional discussion points you can incorporate into the session depending on numbers and time you have available.

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Time to press pause on your day