Stress is the greatest sabotager.

Today, we're going to talk about something that affects us all: stress. I’m going to delve into why it is the greatest sabotager and how it can impact your mind, body, and spirit. I’m also going to cover a number of solutions (because my mantra is “solutions not problems!”).

We all experience stress at some point in our lives, and it can be caused by a variety of factors, such as work, relationships, health issues, financial worries… adulting is a lot! While a little bit of stress can be beneficial, too much stress can have a negative impact on your mental and physical health.

Stress can lead to anxiety, depression, insomnia, high blood pressure, and even heart disease.

Stress can also impact your spirit. It can make you feel overwhelmed, hopeless, and disconnected from others. It can rob you of joy and prevent you from living a fulfilling life. That's why it's so important to manage your stress and take care of yourself.

The Power of Consistency is my signature process and is founded on the belief that consistency is key to achieving your goals and living your best life. I developed the SOAR programme, which is based on this principle, to help you manage your stress and set yourself up for success. Regardless of your interest in the programme, I will leave you with some actionable tips (and a free download!) by the end of this newsletter!

There are four areas that we can tackle when working towards limiting the negative impact of stress on our lives.

Mindset:

Your mindset is everything. Your thoughts and beliefs shape your reality, so it's important to cultivate a positive mindset. Our mindsets are formed by our sub-conscious beliefs and philosophies, most often formed in adolescence. But the good news is you can gain awareness and agency over yours and choose one that best serves you. The SOAR programme includes tools and techniques to help you shift your mindset into a more effective one and overcome negative thinking patterns.

Movement:

Exercise is a great way to manage stress and improve your mental and physical health. There are two routes - one is high intensity to expel an abundance of emotion (think boxing, high intensity etc.) but this will leave you with high adrenaline and cortisol which might not reduce the sensation of stress in your body, despite being great for the mind to hit that punching bag! The other option is to choose more gentle forms that will regulate your nervous system such as yin yoga, pilates, walking, swimming and so on.

Nutrition:

Eating a nutritious diet is crucial for your overall health and wellbeing. This is absolutely not about restriction. This is about setting yourself up for success and adequately fuelling your body / the machine that serves you. In the programme we talk about our body being the car that takes us to our goals, and we need to put the right fuel in for it to work properly - this includes stress management.

Recovery:

Rest and relaxation are essential for managing stress and preventing burnout. REST. IS. PRODUCTIVE. Fact. I like to reframe the definition of productivity and distinguish between toxic and positive productivity when doing so. Having effective systems that afford you more time freedom mean it is easier for us ambitious lot to hold time for self care and rest. This is all covered in the programme too.

We also understand the importance of the parasympathetic nervous system in managing stress. That's why we've created a guide to help you activate this system and promote relaxation.

Stress has destroyed my life.

I didn’t know how invasive it had become before it was too late and I couldn’t walk anymore because my body went on full strike. Since then it has been my mission to manage my stress better and that is how I came to be doing this work. That doesn’t mean I’m immune. Toxic workplaces and grief have propelled me back into those places, but I have managed to catch it a little earlier each time and implement the tools I’ve learned to reduce the negative consequences.

Today I am managing a new full time job, running my business and preparing for my first child… in a new country! It would be easy to feel stressed about juggling and succeeding in all of these areas, but when I feel it creeping up I make a plan to deal with it head on. It always looks like this:

• Take stock and write it out

• Get organised and prepared

• The Power of Consistency

• Rest

In conclusion, stress can be your greatest sabotager if left unchecked. However, with the right tools and techniques, you can manage your stress and set yourself up for success. The Power of Consistency and the Soar programme can help you do just that. So, if you're ready to take control of your stress and live your best life, I invite you to join us.