This month's blog post is inspired by my December Ways to Wellbeing session where we met to discuss Seasonal Stress. Inevitably, this is focused around Christmas stress, but also included the stresses we feel in general at this time of year- the change in seasons, cold weather, dealing with less daylight, to things like just being able to pay our Winter bills.  

If you want to find out about how you can join Ways to Wellbeing, I'll pop the details at the end of this post.

I'd like to pose a question to you- what is stress? 

It absolutely means different things to different people, but I describe it as 'our reaction to a perceived threat'. It doesn't even have to be a real threat! Just something perceived. There are all sorts of wonderful science based explanations for this, but in a nutshell, it's our caveman brain working to protect us from the threats that we tell it are coming. See what I mean? It doesn't even need to be an actual threat, just something you don't like the look of. This kicks off a chain reaction of hormones and chemicals in your body which prepare you to fight or flight. 

Click here to read more about the inner workings of stress. 

Click here to read more about the different stages of stress. 

Now, another question to ask yourself - in what areas of your life do you anticipate experiencing seasonal stress? 

Perhaps financial, spending time with family, travel (to visit friends and family), loneliness, stress on the body from overindulging in food or alcohol, pressure to be having fun or having a good time, time pressure from simply getting everything done, loved ones no longer with us. 

Your list may include some of those, and I'm sure you've added your own too! 

Stress can be categorized into the following 4 areas: 

I suggest doing a brain dump of everything that is stressing you in your life currently, and splitting your list into the areas explained above. This will help you identify which area of your life is experiencing the most stress at the moment, which then enables you to know where you need to place your focus. 

Some coping mechanisms were discussed in the Ways to Wellbeing session and included mindfulness, practising gratitude, art therapy, staying present, letting go, kindness, compassion, self patience, affirmations, time management, setting boundaries, and the importance of finding joy in everyday activities. 

Something to ask yourself- can you remove the stressor? If not, how can you better cope with it? 

It's also important to commit to helping yourself feel better if you are stressed at the moment, and some questions to ask yourself are:  

What can I do? How can I do it? When will I do it? Where will I do it?  Who will I do it with?

And finally, remember that stress is all about your perspective on the situation. Imagine how things could be if you choose to feel differently. 

This is just a roundup of what we discussed, it's impossible to capture all the fine details, so if you want to join us in the room next time make sure you get yourself a ticket! Ways to Wellbeing is a monthly online get together with a different theme each time. We're all there to discuss, learn from, and support each other. 

You can find the latest information about Ways to Wellbeing either by following my facebook page, or the Inspiring Women Network.