Stress-busting tips

Claire Hegarty is a qualified Life Coach and Hypnotherapist, who hosts regular webchats on iVillage.co.uk. Here are her top tips on how to manage stress

Because we are all different and our minds and bodies will react and behave differently, it isn't always possible to say what stress is for every person, as we will all experience it differently.

What is easy, is to start to look at any changes we may have noticed, such as general mood, sleep patterns, concentration, appetite and perception of others. How we are getting on with other people and has anything changed? Are we more snappy or irritable in any way?

Once we are aware of what may be different, we can then start to address what is causing this difference. Below are some really easy starting points:

How is your eating? Are you eating as well and as often as you should be, or has being busy meant that healthy eating and sitting down to eat meals has been put on the back burner?

How often are you sitting still and just 'being'?

How much water are you drinking each day? A lot of stress can be linked into dehydration and not giving the body the level of water and hydration needed. This needs to be in addition to any other drinks such as tea and coffee.

How much relaxation and time for you are you getting? Are you firing on all cylinders?

Are you making sure that you have 'download' time before you go to sleep? If we are active in our minds and then get straight into bed, this can often be the cause of not being able to sleep as the mind has not been given time to 'download' the day

Claire is available for consultations and will offer the first session free, so if you are interested in booking one-to-one coaching, call her on 0151 678 3358.