How To Use Summer To Reset, Reduce Your Stress Levels & Bring Sunshine Back Into Your Life

In today’s demanding world, it is virtually impossible to find someone who would not describe themselves as stressed at least some of the time.

Some stress or anxiety throughout life is natural. It can even be helpful, keeping us on our toes and helping us face and overcome some of the daily challenges that life brings.

However, too much stress – and the unpleasant symptoms it can cause – can have the opposite effect, paralysing us and stopping us from living our lives and moving forward.

With modern everyday life running at the fast pace it is, many if not most find it hard to switch off. The Summer is a great moment to try and reset and form new habits.

Although July and August don’t always guarantee sunshine, they are months which always help to lift your mood.

And they can help provide a springboard to a change in mindset that can help improve your life in lots of ways.

For me there are seven ways you can make tangible changes to your life that will help reduce stress levels and bring sunshine back into your life.

These are:
Take Breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news or social media: It is good to keep up with world events, but hearing things constantly can be upsetting and cause worry about things that are out of your control. Maybe limit news and social media to
a couple of times a day, having a phone-free hour and switching off an hour before bed.

Be Active: Exercise does more than keep you fit, it can be a way to manage stress, lower anxiety and lift your mood, whether it be walking outside in the fresh air and amongst nature, dancing round your living room to your favourite music or sweating through
a gym class, any form or exercise has been proven to help melt away the stress levels and leave you feeling more positive and focused.

Avoid Unhealthy Habits: Alcohol, smoking and caffeine are often what people reach for as their coping mechanisms, whilst they may provide temporary relief, in the long term these ‘security crutches’ will not solve the problems, but the dependency may even cause
new ones.

Have some ‘ME’ time: Many of us work long hour, which often means we do not get the time to do what we enjoy doing. It is important to take, or should I say make some time for what you enjoy, whether it be socialising, exercise or just relaxing doing something
creative, reading or watching something on television. If possible, try setting aside one or two nights a week for some quality ‘me time’.

Get enough sleep: sleep plays a vital part in good health and well-being throughout a person’s life, getting enough good quality sleep at the right times can help to protect their mental and physical well-being, so is paramount when feeling stressed or anxious
as it will help you to deal with situations with a clearer mind.

Try to be positive: Sometimes hard I know but try to look for positives in life, and things for which you are grateful for. At the end of each day write down three things that you are grateful for.

Be Kind to yourself: Be kind to yourself. Learning to be kinder to yourself can help with how you feel in different situations. Try to take breaks in your day so you can recharge and reset. Praise yourself for your achievements however small they are

Lynn Crilly is the author of a number of books including Hope With Depression. For more details visit www.lynncrilly.com