The number of people coming to see me with stress or anxiety related issues is increasing massively at the moment.
I’m not sure whether it’s the pressures of modern life, thoughts of an impending recession or some other factor.
What I do know is that all of these people have something in common.
At some point during our first conversation I will usually ask a variation of the question – How much “you time” do you have a week?
What I mean by this is time for you just to relax, have some time solely for yourself when you can recharge and replenish your energy levels and release everyday stresses.
Without exception the answer is “none”.
They tell me they are too busy, there are not enough hours in the day or it’s a selfish thing to do.
Of course all of those things make sense when you’re in the middle of a feeling of overwhelm.
To make progress we might need to firstly deal with that feeling of selfishness.
I prefer the term self-ful or taking care of one’s self and ask “could you put yourself first for just 30 minutes a week to start?”
This seems far more acceptable and manageable and ideas start to flow of how they could do it and what they could do.
Think of how the people around you would enjoy a calmer and more energised you.
So, there are 168 hours in a week.
How could you free up 30 or 60 minutes of that time for you?
What would you love to do in that time that would relax you and recharge your batteries?
Go for a massage, swim, sauna or a walk?
Take some time out to read or do some relaxation exercises?
Whatever it is that inspires you, try it this weekend and notice how different you feel.
