"Not Enough Time!!"

"Not enough time for what", you say? Sadly, the answer is this "Not enough time to achieve a stress-free life, personally and professionally."

Now why do I say this? Recently, I carried out a survey to find out one of the key reasons that people can't achieve a stress-free life, was that they don't have enough time.

And why is that such a big problem? Because the hidden effects of stress and anxiety can be hugely damaging to both your mental and physical health. It causes sleepless nights, headaches and brain fog, memory loss, inflamed and aching joints, weight problems, our social skills are impacted and finally it has a direct impact to our lives personally and professionally.

And yet, we can make big changes to how we feel, with small steps and in very little time. So, what do I mean by that? One simple change you can introduce into your daily life, is by introducing changes to your breathing patterns and learn breathing techniques. The advantage of this, is that it helps you to function on a more logical level, rather than an emotional level. It can help you to relax and stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body's "rest and digest" activities, transversely regulates our "fight or flight" responses.

I know, your first thought is that I have to breath in order to live. But it's how you breath that makes the difference. When you are breathing in the right way, it helps you to calm down and begin to think rationally. You begin to feel calmer, more resourceful, centred balanced and it enables you to step back into a situation with more control and acceptance.

When and how often do we do this? Surely, that takes time, and didn't we begin this, by saying we don't have time. This simple step can be introduced at any time throughout the day. Ideally, getting into a routine every hour, can make a significant difference.

But, even if you do it for just 1-2 minutes, every day, anywhere and at any time, you can even do it without anyone noticing. It can increase awareness, improve our immune system and reduce stress and sleepless nights. You start to feel even more energised, focused and ready for the day or to cope with any challenge.

This simple controlled breathing technique you can introduce, starts by inhaling slowly through the nose at a count of 4, then exhale slowly out of the nose for 6. Repeat this exercise for at least 1 minute. When you get more used to it, then inhale for 4, hold for 3, exhale for 6 and hold for 3, and repeat.

This is just one simple step to help reduce stress in your life. Don't use time, as reason for why you cannot be healthier, mentally and physically.