SLEEP
I think I have mentioned on the blog before (or you may have seen Alex dissect my weird dreams on Twitter) that sleep doesn’t always come easy to me. Even when I’m extremely tired, sleep can evade me for hours as the worries and stresses of personal and work life suddenly seem to collide, and light bulbs that have been so dim during the day suddenly appear in their hoards above my weary head. 15 minutes to breathe in an evening, wether I’m at home on the balcony overlooking the City or if I’m in a hotel room in another country where I can take advantage of a luxurious bath, it really helps the stress to fly away for a while and allows me to finally get some Z’s.
PRODUCTIVITY
My life is unashamedly based around Inthefrow. From the second I open my eyes and through every minute of my day, my end goal is always the content I produce, as I’m sure countless others focus on their careers the same way too. I can sometimes spend hours aimlessly trying to sort my day, organise my time and produce content to be proud of and get absolutely nowhere. I’m sure every single person reading this will know that feeling of banging your head against a brick wall and there’s only one fix for me. Walk away from the endless circle of procrastination for my own mental health and my own work productivity. I can come back to my desk 15 minutes later refreshed and ready to succeed.
HEALTH
I am not a person who gets ill or who catches the bug that is making the rounds usually (*touches everything wooden within reach*) but I am the first to realise that when life gets a little too much to handle I can feel truly awful. From headaches to physically feeling run down when anxiety rears its head, to bloating and discomfort when life has handed me something I resent. When I sit down, stop and take that first relaxing breath I can literally feel the stress melt away. The connection may not be immediate for some, and may not be there at all for others, but I believe we should all take a minute to explore the link between stress and any physical ailments we may be experiencing.
MOOD
I think Alex would agree with this more than anyone else, as will other people’s closest friends and family, but if life has got too much for me I am a different person in every sense. I can’t concentrate, I get frustrated and there’s no way on earth I can ever give my full attention to a person. It’s so easy for me to lose perspective and not realise that my mood has switched even when the trigger is something as small as a deadline change or a technology glitch, but at the end of the day, what’s the worst that can happen? 15 minutes to come back to reality can make all the difference to my mood and bring a smile to my face.
Do you take any time for yourself when life gets too much? How do you cope with the stresses that get thrown towards you? I’d love to hear any more tips for a peaceful mind and a productive life!
Shots taken at the Shangri La Hotel, Hambantota, Sri Lanka. Full hotel review coming soon – but as I’ve said before and you may have seen on my Instagram, it was like paradise.
