How can we minimise our stress at home?

Stress doesn’t discriminate. When we think of stress, we often associate it with work. In reality, stress is not limited to this aspect of life.

After a long day of work, we want to relax and spend time with the ones we love, but the mountain of daily responsibilities can make home a stressful place too. Especially when a lot of us are now working from home which can make it difficult to seperate work life and home life!

At home, there are a lot of tasks to be done but the rewards are not always tangible. We’re expected to be experts in a range of different professions; accountants, nurses, cooks, housekeepers, entertainers and chauffeurs – who knew we were so qualified?

Home is supposed to be a retreat from all the other stress in our lives. We have a sense of belonging at home and we can expect it to provide a safe and happy environment for us.

So what happens when our place of refuge becomes the place we want to avoid?

Are we taking on too much?

You’re running low on groceries and the house is a mess, but you have to leave it all behind just to make it to work on time.

Unfortunately, the housekeeping fairy hasn’t been by the time you get home and, after a long day at work, you’re straight into tackling the tasks ahead – when do you get to relax?

Home life presents us a seemingly infinite number of tasks, yet we can’t escape with paid annual leave or a sneaky sick day. The build-up of stress from frantic daily scenarios can lead to real discontent and we spread ourselves too thin just to keep the household ticking over.

There are pressures coming at us from all directions and the hectic pace at which we live means we’re constantly pushing the limits. Many of us are guilty of trying to squeeze in as much as we can in the 24 hours we have.

As we push ourselves to meet the needs of our families financially and emotionally, it’s not surprising we feel overwhelmed at times.

Stress gains momentum faster than a snowball

Stress certainly has a snowball effect. When a little bit of stress gets stored in your body, it starts to grow until you do something to about it. That elusive ‘something’ may take a long time to find, so your stress accumulates and you become a ticking time bomb.

 

Like a snowball, stress gets bigger and bigger as it spirals out of control. It wreaks havoc on our health and behaviour and disrupts our ability to think clearly. Unfortunately, it’s those closest to us – the ones we love – that feel the brunt of this the most.

As the stress snowball gains momentum, it tumbles through a household, taking other family members down with it. Finally, the snowball crashes and the results aren’t pretty; an argument breaks out or we develop a health issue.

Ultimately, we are left with a far worse situation than we were in with that original dose of stress and the only way up is through damage control.

Let’s be realistic; things happen, but when stress gets in the way of a peaceful household, we need solutions to help us find the harmony again.

Minimise stress – change the environment

When stress becomes too much, the mind needs to be given the chance to switch its focus from negative to positive – a change of environment can do just that!

It can be difficult to justify making time for ourselves these days; our lives are busy and we tend to put others first. But the value of taking time out (even just a ten-minute walk) is that we step away from the stress and gain a more rational perspective.

Breathe deeply

When we are stressed, our breaths shorten which speeds up our heart rate and sends our minds into overdrive. Conscious deep breaths can slow the heart rate and give us the extra boost of oxygen we need to calm down.

Balanced diet and quality exercise

Be proactive; a healthy body truly means a healthy mind. The only way you can keep stress at bay for GOOD is by maintaining long-term, consistently healthy habits including regular exercise and a nutritious diet. If you’re just starting out and don’t know where to start, check out some of our fitness and nutrition online offerings and start your journey to a healthier, more carefree life!