THIS week the challengers will confront the issues that cause them to fall into bad eating habits or neglect their well-being. One big trigger is stress.

Do you have anxiety, a feeling of just surviving, broken night’s sleep, worrying or waking up with a start, feeling unable to cope, possibly suffering from panic attacks? Other symptoms of stress include: frequent infections, anxiety, low sex drive, difficulty concentrating, feeling emotional or tearful and being short-tempered. We have all felt that we cannot deal with what is required of us, but it is important not to just accept ‘feeling stressed’ as part of our everyday lives.

Seven Seas has compiled the top stress-busting tips that might work for you – everyone is different so it is a case of trial and error.

1. Take stress seriously.

Prioritise it. Recognise its impact on your life and health, and change it.

Keep a diary of when you felt stressed and why – the results may astound you and it is more than likely that the same stressors recur. If there are some things that are not changeable, just accept it and move on, but make sure you do change whatever you can.

2. Breath

When you are in a stressful situation, it is amazing how effective deep breathing can be. Here’s how: Slowly inhale through your nose or through pursed lips (to slow down the intake of air) and count to three; as you inhale, feel your stomach expand with your hand. If your chest expands, focus on breathing with your diaphragm; slowly exhale through pursed lips to regulate the release of air. Count to five as you breathe out; rest and repeat.

3. Exercise

Exercise can be a double-edged sword. You don’t want to put ‘going to the gym’ as an extra on your to-do list. Start small and use the time to clear your head or sort out your thoughts. Too much exercise puts additional stress and strain on the body – you don’t need that. It may be hard to get started when you’ve experienced prolonged stress – start by walking around a block or two at lunchtime, or around the local park. Get off the bus a stop early. Take the stairs rather than the lift. You could go one step further and join a local gym or aerobics/dance class, or try a relaxing exercise class like yoga.

4. Have a good, hard look at what you are eating

Because stress is our body’s response to the perceived relationship between the demands on us and our ability to cope, we need to make sure that our food is giving us the most important nutrients to deal with how we are feeling.

Stimulants: When under stress it is so easy to grab a cup of tea or coffee to seemingly boost energy levels, or chase a sugar hit in the form of a chocolate bar or biscuit. Coffee, tea (regular tea), chocolate, and sugar are classed as stimulants; they stimulate the body to feel stressed, putting you under more pressure. Cutting down can really help the way you feel and how you manage stress. Start slowly and aim for one to two cups of caffeine as an absolute maximum. Opt for healthy alternative snacks. Cut out or reduce intake of alcohol – it destroys the nutrients that your body needs to combat stress.

Nutrients that support you during times of stress include: Vitamin B5 – whole grains, salmon, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, liver, sweet potatoes; Vitamin B6 – peppers, garlic, asparagus, brown rice, pasta and wholegrain bread, beans and pulses, bananas, nuts, seeds, potatoes, green leafy vegetables, cauliflower; Magnesium – brown rice, pasta and wholegrain bread, meat, green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds; Vitamin C: berries, including raspberries, strawberries, blackberries etc, kiwi fruit, citrus fruits, peppers, broccoli; Zinc – lean meat, fish, spinach, pulses, pumpkin seeds, wholegrain bread, shellfish.

Take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement containing at least 100 per cent RDA of the nutrients listed and all of the B vitamins. Add in a good-quality fish oil to help your body repair itself from the extra strain. Seven Seas Multibionta and High Strength Cod Liver Oil are excellent options.

Aim to eat in a relaxed space and allocate the time to just sit and digest your food. Don’t watch TV, check your kids’ homework, or try in any way to multitask – just eat. It will give your digestion a chance to absorb what you are eating – and gives you a break.

5. Me time

Build some relaxation or ‘me time’ into your day. Take time to do at least 10 minutes considered deep breathing. Allocate some time when you are just ‘being,’ that is lying in the bath, sitting in silence or listening to relaxing music.

6. Sleep

It is even more vital to make sure that you get good nights’ sleep when suffering from stress. Sleep is your recovery time, it allows your body to rest and recover from the day. Aim to be in bed by 10:00 pm. If you are feeling continually exhausted, try and have a lie in where possible to get further recovery time.

7. Consider looking for outside help.

Talk to a friend or family about how you feel. We often feel better once we have shared a problem and heard another viewpoint. Just by having someone listen to you, you may feel the weight lifted off your shoulders. Alternatively, you could consider a life coach or counsellor who could listen to your problems and help you to find solutions or stress-reduction techniques.

8. Laugh

Laughing and smiling are great stress busters. While issues are no laughing matter, it is good to see the funny side – or at the very least sit down and watch a funny film or TV programme. Have a laugh with friends and smile through the day – it may sound trite – but try it, you just may feel so much better!

From www.seven-seas.com