Stress seems to seep into our daily lives.
We end up anxious, agitated and more prone to mistakes and yet most of us pin the blame on our workload. The tasks we assign ourselves are conducive to a build up of stress but it’s the little things, our choices in lifestyle that amplify those stressful tendencies. Here, The Job Auction explore the roots, manifestations and solutions to stress. First up are habits. Here are five you’re probably guilty of that awareness can help you cut down on.
Binge-watching TV
The key word here is binge. Its never going to have good connotations and its existence means that you can have too much of a good thing. Comforting yourself with your favourite show and getting lost in a world where your problems don’t exist is good for healing. It’s good for a few hours maximum. The longer you spend in this world, the less inclined you feel to step back into reality. Set yourself limits, set alarms if you absolutely have to, just don’t get square eyes.
Skipping Meals
Metabolism rates aside it is often the case that most of us are encouraged to eat at least three meals a day. The most skipped meal of the day is often breakfast as the early morning rush is often about making time to do everything and as anyone who skips breakfast can tell you, making it to lunch is doable. Although just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Eating a good breakfast sets us up for the day. This doesn’t necessarily mean full English every morning; just make sure you eat something.
Too Much Caffeine
Okay by something I mean solid food. Coffee is one of those things that gives you a quick boost but can leave you feeling reasonably drained for the rest of the day. Be it soft drinks or coffee, a caffeinated beverage is no substitute to a good eight hours sleep. Limiting yourself to drinks that perk your energy levels are good for high intensity tasks if they can be completed in short bursts but over the course of a single day will leave you feeling drained by mid afternoon.
Sitting
This one applies to those of us who have to spend the day hunched over a desk. Often our chairs encourage bad posture and weaken your bones and your body in general. Not to be morbid but your risk of disease increases due to long periods where you remain motionless. Moving around and standing at the desk is healthy so don’t worry about the odd looks you’ll get.
Social Media
With the internet at our disposal we get to see rolling news updates on everything from fashion to football to our friends, so now when we go online the fear of missing out can be too much so we sit and stare for hours. FOMO, that old frenemy, beware! Becoming a voyeur and watching everyone’s lives can leave you feeling stressed that yours doesn’t match up to the highly edited versions you see presented to you. Take time to focus on yourself, it’s another form of destructive escapism just like watching too much TV.
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