Managing Stress

Keeping Your Stress Bucket Empty

Stress is an inevitable part of life, but how we manage it can make all the difference to our well-being. Imagine your mind as a bucket that collects stressors throughout the day. When this bucket overflows, it can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, and a low mood. The good news is that there are ways to keep your stress bucket from overflowing and to empty it effectively, ensuring you wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day.

The Role of REM Sleep

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) doing its job

One of the most effective ways our body naturally empties this stress bucket is through sleep. During sleep, the brain processes emotions and experiences from the day, sorting and storing memories while also discarding unnecessary stressors. This process acts as a nightly reset, preparing us for the challenges ahead the next day and to get the best out of ourselves.

However, when stress accumulates beyond the capacity of this natural process, sleep can become overwhelmed, failing to empty the stress bucket completely, as it only has a certain amount of time each night to complete its process. As a result, you might wake up feeling stressed, anxious, downhearted and exhausted. You start the day in a negative place which will prevent you from enforcing the positive lifestyle and so you are starting a vicious cycle. This underscores the importance of managing stress effectively during waking hours to support your body's natural processes while you sleep.

Mental Health Statistics in the UK

Understanding the prevalence of mental health issues can provide context for why managing stress is so crucial. In the UK alone, approximately 1 in 6 people experience a mental health problem in any given week. Conditions such as anxiety and depression are among the most common, often exacerbated by unmanaged stress. I highlighted that statistic above because I want to emphasis how important it is to “keep the stress levels down” to allow the body’s natural process to eliminate them during your sleep, so you wake up feeling refreshed, positive and ready to cope with the daily tasks. Did you read that statistic above? read it again. 1 in 6 UK people experience a mental health problem each week.

Women (19%) are more likely to report symptoms of depression as apposed to Men (14%) who do not report it.

Those statistics highlight the importance of proactive stress management techniques to enhance overall well-being.

Another thing to consider is ‘mirroring behaviours’ . Mirroring is where a person or persons living or working around a person with a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety, will start to take on their behaviours. So in affect if a parent is suffering with depression or anxiety or related conditions OCD, PTSD etc, it will have an affect on the people around them at home or at work. Their child may start to show change in their behaviour or mood at school or home. The same goes for a parent living with a child or young adult who is showing symptoms of depression or anxiety, the parents, siblings, and/or friends or colleagues could start to mirror their behaviours or moods. Living with a partner or spouse with depression, anxiety or other mental health condition could also cause mirroring behaviour or mood.

All cases are individual of course and it doesn’t happen to everyone. The possibilities are varied but it is something to be aware of.

How do you eat an elephant? read on…

How do you eat an elephant?

Actions, Interactions, and Thoughts

Our thoughts and actions significantly influence the chemical balance in our brains. Engaging in positive actions, fostering positive interactions, and cultivating positive thoughts can stimulate the release of healthy neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. These "feel-good" chemicals improve mood, increase energy levels, resources and aid in stress reduction. This also lowers the amount of negative thoughts storing in the stress bucket so less work for our sleep cycle.

Positive Actions

• Exercise: Regular physical activity is known to boost endorphin levels, enhancing mood and reducing stress. This doesn’t have to be a full HIIT session at a gym, that isn’t for everyone. It can be a walk outside, walk the dog, take in some fresh air, take a bike ride or just small exercises at home like Yoga, Pilates. There are even apps available on phones to download free to do in the comfort of your home if you are unable to get out.

• Healthy Eating: A balanced diet can support brain health, providing the nutrients needed to produce healthy feel good neurotransmitters. Avoiding too much Alcohol or un-natural sugars. You dont have to live a Monk lifestyle, just a moderately healthy one.

• Small changes over time: will also aid those healthy neurotransmitters. Do something you enjoy doing, for example, I like to paint on canvas. I find it relaxing and I can get lost for a while and enjoy seeing the finished product. What do you enjoy ?.

Social connections or helping hand

Positive Interactions

• Social Connections: Spending time with friends and/or loved ones or engaging in community activities can foster a sense of belonging and support. It can also hook you up with new people in your life who may have positive impact on you. If you have issues going out and meeting people, there are online groups that you can join via Zoom or Teams and engage in social talks or activities.

• Helping Others: Acts of kindness not only benefit others but also increase your own levels of happiness.

Positive Thoughts

• Gratitude: Practicing gratitude can shift focus from negative to positive aspects of life, improving emotional well-being. Try Journaling your gratitude daily and reading back each day what you wrote the day before. I journal each night before bedtime about my day, what was good today?, what I am grateful for? and any thoughts or mantras for the next day.

• Mindfulness: Being present and aware can help manage stress by reducing overthinking and anxiety. Eckhart Tolle says “be in the moment. If you don’t like it, change it “. Only we can make changes, nobody else can do it for us. Try meditation or just sitting quietly and being in the moment.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy

Online or face to face Hypnotherapy session

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is an innovative approach that combines elements of psychotherapy, visualisation, trance (deep relaxation), and goal-driven techniques to help individuals manage stress and improve mental health. This method focuses on what you want to achieve rather than dwelling on past problems, promoting a positive mindset and empowering change. The sessions can be carried out face to face or online via Zoom or other video platforms, depending on the therapist you choose.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy in this context helps individuals understand their stressors and develop strategies to manage them effectively. By focusing on solutions rather than problems, this approach encourages positive change.

Goal-Driven Techniques

Setting clear, achievable goals is crucial in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy. By concentrating on what you want to achieve, you can create a roadmap for success, reducing stress by providing a sense of direction and purpose.

Visualisation

Visualisation techniques allow individuals to imagine their desired outcomes, reinforcing positive beliefs and motivating action towards goals.

Trance (Deep Relaxation)

Visualisation and relaxation (trance)

Trance state, achieved through relaxation and visualisation techniques, can help reduce stress levels by calming the mind and body. This state of deep relaxation allows the subconscious to process stress and reinforce positive patterns. People ask many times “will I get hurt in trance?” Absolutely not . So if you have ever gone for a run and just drifted off in your brain for a while and gone into autopilot while running or driving a regular journey to work or somewhere you go to daily and you drift off while driving but still able to get to where you are going, and when you arrive you think “ I don’t remember half of that journey” well…that is ‘trance’. Trance is when the subconscious and conscious minds come together and allow you to be intellectually in full control of your thoughts. So its quite the opposite to what the old school assumption is, where people believe they lose control during trance, you are actually in full intellectual control. Its where the primitive part of the brain has no part to play at all. You just get to feel the most relaxed you have in a long time. There are no tricks or props involved, that is the old hypnotism techniques which play no part in solution focused hypnotherapy.

The Importance of the Present

Be in the moment

Focusing on the present moment is a powerful way to manage stress and improve mental health. By concentrating on what you can change now, rather than worrying about the past or future, you can take control of your stress levels. This present-focused mindset encourages proactive steps towards well-being and personal growth.

I had a client who was a married mum of three. She was a very busy entrepreneur, juggling multiple businesses and projects and had to battle through her own head daily to get things done and truthfully, felt quite overwhelmed most days. After a couple of sessions I asked her if she woke up tomorrow and she was not so overwhelmed and the day was more manageable, what would have changed?. She deliberated for a while and skirted around the answer and then said “ I would be more organised. Not just me but all of us, in the house. Some days its chaos”. So as I would ask all my clients, I asked her what is one tiny thing she could do this week to get her closer to that more organised day. She hesitated , thought deep for a while then said. “maybe I could buy a big family planner for the wall at home, so I can keep track of everything and the family would join in and we will manage ourselves better. She shed a tear, as she said “ it was that simple?”. Having the planner would take the pressure off her which will help her sleep better which will make her more able to handle her days…you see the cycle?.

It is sometimes that simple. One small change can make a huge difference to your life. It is there, you just have to find it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, managing stress is essential for maintaining mental health and overall well-being. By understanding the role of REM sleep, engaging in positive actions, interactions, and thoughts, and exploring methods like Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, you can keep your stress bucket from overflowing.

As you consider your own stress management strategies, try these:

• What positive actions can you incorporate into your daily routine to boost your mood?

• How can you enhance your social interactions to support your mental health?

• What goals can you set to focus on the solutions rather than the cause or the problem?

By addressing these questions, you can begin to make meaningful changes in your life, keeping your stress bucket empty and your mind at ease. Remember, the key to a healthier, happier you lies in the present moment .

If you relate to any of the above and feel you need help and guidance then reach out to me. The first step is to recognise that you need to make some changes. The next is to really want to make those changes and the next…. contact me to help you do that.

So lastly …HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?

One little piece at a time of course.

Best Wishes

Alana xx