Are you one of those people who regularly comes down with something on the first day of a much needed holiday? Do you work late and then find it hard to get a good night's sleep? Are weekends gone in a flash after playing catchup the whole time? Does the idea of just one lie-in sound as distant as a dream of winning a lottery you don't play?
When you've been running on adrenaline for any length of time, your best bet is to avoid a huge buildup of cortisol (the "stress hormone"). So if you've been working late for days to meet a deadline, when it's over, go to the gym. Or if you've been handling all the childcare solo for days, when you get the support you need, consider a nice long walk.
This physical activity will help your body release that stress and you're more likely to wake up feeling fab the next day. Think of it as changing gears - if you try to go from 1 to 4 without transitioning properly, your car will protest.
Ease into it. Even if you've not been working crazy hours (at work or within your family), taking 20 minutes to do nothing can feel too indulgent. But checking in with yourself can keep you on track more effectively than any amount of drive. Get into a new habit of stopping everything every couple of hours. If you can't even allow yourself five minutes, make it one.
Ask yourself "How do I feel right now?" Are you carrying tension or pain anywhere in your body? Is your heart racing? Are your eyes tired?
What three things (e.g. spending a little time unwinding with a good book / phoning a friend / spending some time in silence each day / simply shutting your eyes and taking a 5 minute nap) can you start doing today to pay better attention to your body and your needs?
1)
2)
3)
And if you're around on Saturday 21/6/08, you can start unwinding by tuning into BBC Essex's (www.bbc.co.uk/essex) Loud Women from noon to 2pm (I'll be on the panel again).
© Eve Menezes Cunningham / http://www.applecoaching.com/ 2008
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment