As we progress through life, building around us a family unit that gives us a sense of love and purpose, there often comes to a tipping point whereby the demands of life start to feel overwhelming, stress kicks in, and everything that used to be good, starts to turn sour.
The trouble is, when those pressures start to spiral, the gather momentum very quickly. The good news is, if caught early enough you only need to tweak certain aspects of your daily life a little bit to reclaim that balance and make sure you continue to take care of your own wellbeing, and that of your family.
Here are our six top tips for you to let go of certain more overwhelming areas of your life, and recalibrate that time and head space.
- TURN OFF YOUR DIGITAL DEVICES
While the smartphone has become an essential tool for modern living, there comes a point at which its draw on your attention becomes too much. For kids up to the age of 18, the recommended maximum amount of time spent on a phone is two hours or less a day, according to the World Health Organisation. Of course, restricting that time for your kids is one thing – but disciplining yourself is another matter entirely.
Make a pact to complete all your phone tasks in one go, then switch the phone onto silent and put it in a draw for a couple of hours. If you end up reading the news on your phone, treat yourself to a paper version of the paper. Remove any social media apps that you know are a constant claim for your attention.
2. OUTSOURCE DOMESTIC CHORES
What would you rather be doing – standing knee deep in laundry getting stressed at your family because you are too busy running around after them, or packing up a picnic to take with you to the park where you can relax and spend the time with your loved ones.
Outsourcing your household chores is one of the easiest ways of creating precious time for you to spend with your family. Seek out local cleaning and laundry services, even if you use them just once a month – it will make the world of difference to just take the pressure off you.
3. TAKE SOME TIME FOR YOURSELF
Time with your family is important, but just as important is to factor a little bit of time just for yourself. Whether you use that time to work out in a gym, or simply to sit and (pretend) to meditate – finding a way to clear the mind gives you desperately needed breathing space and will ensure you maintain a greater degree of resilience and fortitude to support both yourself and your family.
4. RECULTIVATE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOUR
One of the first things to go when you start to become stressed is your sense of humour. Don’t let go of it. The best therapy in the world is a good belly laugh!
5. WATCH YOUR DIET
The food you eat can have a direct effect on your emotional wellbeing. A diet that is high in processed sugars, a fast food diet that is full of chemicals, while giving you instant gratification, can soon evaporate into inflammation and self loathing. If you find your diet is becoming unproportionally biased towards unhealthy processed foods and alcohol, switch it out for a more Mediterranean focused diet – more fruit and vegetables, good quality olive oils.
You’ll also find that changing your diet will also contribute to a much better nights’ sleep, as well as weight loss, which in turn will help to eliminate feelings of anxiety.
