Are we more Stressed these days? We sure are! Modern day Stress is a big problem, but, we are also aware of it way more, that’s the solution, awareness and support. So, why are we so stressed these days?

Increased Pressure

A lot more is expected of us these days, we all want to be the best, that’s great! But there is a multitude of choice available, are we making the right choices? Is someone out to take what we have? Are we a lot busier than we were 50 years ago…?

My grandparents seem relaxed and chilled, but they knew their path in life and made their minds up young and, to a degree, stuck to it. We’re constantly fighting to have more, do better, get that recognition. Did Granny and Grandad learn balance and to be happy with what you have more than we do as a society now? They were certainly simpler times, no internet for us to compare ourselves with others constantly, to be in continuous communication. Or were there less pressures on them to succeed and manage, was it ok to ‘fail’? Because failure is not an option for this generation. We celebrate our successes, feeling like a failure is a major issue for most of us. But that’s how we learn! Remember being a child, stuff was simple, and if you fell down, you’d get back up. Is it that now we feel we must never fail as a society and that we must always be succeeding in parenthood, work life, social life, we must look great, feel great, act great, but we are humans! We are not perfect.

It is also a worrying fact that teenage depression is on the rise (see this article on teen mental health) which means the pressure of school life is hitting generations a lot younger than just succeeding at work life, is this good for future generations? How are we going to reassure our young people that it’s ok to fail, to learn and to feel ok just being you, to be human…?

Collectively Driven?

We’ve become a society where we are very driven for success, we see it everywhere and we must ‘compete’ – a natural human instinct, to feel like we are doing and providing enough. Our mental health is taking a hit from the continuous ‘are we doing enough?’ and ‘am I safe?’ questioning; a basic human need is to feel comfortable and secure, we are always ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘insecure’ in this state. Being constantly on the go also starts to affect our physical ability as well. Longer hours at work = less time for rest, we are spending our time in ‘fight or flight’ mode, rather than the vital ‘rest and digest’ which is required for balance. As we are running on adrenaline and cortisol (check out our last article on what happens to the body during stress), this puts all our vital organs under pressure as well as our minds. If this pattern continues we run the risk of becoming almost like robots; expected within ourselves not to have a few rest days and to just work ourselves into the ground until we aren’t able to rise again. Even robots need R+R. Many of us end up existing instead of enjoying life with a balanced work lifestyle, we see others doing it, we feel guilty if we ‘stop’.

Click here to review Signs that you are feeling Stressed

STOP Stress: Take Control

OK, so we have highlighted a few issues with society that mean we are fundamentally likely to be more stressed in day to day life, it doesn’t mean you have to remain this way. There are many ways to regain control of the stress you are feeling. Just taking a small step in the right direction, showing yourself some self love, can open up the channels for healing and personal growth.

Take time, remain Open

Put it simply, take time to just be and let your thoughts process. By being on the go all the time, we rarely allow time to think things through, a golden way to reach resolution with things that have been bothering you from the past, or come up with solutions on how to deal with problems that are presenting themselves to you right now. You don’t have to meditate or work everything out, try scheduling just ten minutes a day to sit peacefully. Headspace to an amazing app to help create healthy patterns for you to learn simple meditation processes. It’s friendly, fast working and free (for the first ten sessions)! Can’t manage every day? That’s cool, we know you;re busy, 10 minutes a month is better than nothing at all! And you will start to build new habits.

Talk to people

In our busy lifestyles, we don’t always allow enough time to connect, really connect, with other people and share our feelings. This leads us to believe what we are feeling is unique to us, but, I hope this article helps demonstrate, we are all in this stress boat together. And by not opening up to one another, we are not only fueling the problem but we are carrying that burden alone. It doesn’t have to be about stress, you don’t have to divulge all your feelings! It doesn’t need to be a colleague or loved one, try the young man in Tescos, an associate you make eye contact with, a therapist; Just by talking to others and you will feel more grounded, better. It’s another one of those vital things us humans need: Connection. Ask them about themselves, their day, compliment them, by focusing on others, you take your own attention from yourself, and you’ll likely discover they have problems too. If you are feeling brave, you can let them know you have been feeling stressed lately, they will only want to help you feel better, it is human nature for us to empathize and help one another. Just by talking about every day things we are creating a support network, we feel less alone.

Stay hydrated

It seems a bit odd, but normally, when we are stressed, our mouths get dry and we cannot process water properly, ending up dehydrated. By sipping water regularly, you will reduce the feeling of the stress symptom – dry mouth -as well as hydrating our body and helping it to heal and rebuild.

Seek help

We all need to reach out for help now and then. If you are finding stress is affecting your day to day life, health and wellbeing, you may wish to consider a life style change and discuss it with your GP.

At YOU Massage, we are on a mission to reduce your stress, one massage at a time! 

Attitude to massage is also a changing thing as our society becomes more stressed. It is no longer a luxury, it is a therapeutic tool for your optimum well-being. Massage isn’t overly expensive (compared it to a night out on the town for example!) and it is proven to help with stress. How? It allows you 1 hour of peace and quiet which helps you put those thoughts to bed (allow them to wash over you) and gives your body a good healing boost (that rest and digest is used to rebuild from the inside!), Massage boosts those happy hormones we have within us, to create a sense of reassurance and comfort and relieve some of those worries and pressures we’ve learnt to make as part of our day to day. It pushes: PAUSE on life and allows your mind and body to heal, whilst your sympathetic, professional therapist does their best to sooth your body and mind with music, oils and technique.

In turn, post Massage promotes better sleep, eating habits and you feel less pain in those typically tense areas, making what could be a stressful week a much better week from the off!

Keep an eye on our Facebook Profile this month for a plenty more stress busting tips!

Take control today! Book your next massage online