Easing into Easter
I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to a little break over the Easter holidays. Time out to refresh and recharge the batteries.
Have you ever noticed that when you take your foot off the gas and slow things down a little, your energy levels start to crash? Do you often get sick as soon as you stop? When you go on holiday, does it take you a few days to slow down and ease yourself into holiday mode?
If this sounds like you, it could be that you are running on stress and adrenalin in your working week just to get you through. When things slow down and the adrenalin levels reduce, that is often when we notice just how tightly wound up we have been.
April is stress awareness month, so this Easter is the perfect opportunity to assess your stress and work out if there are a couple of little tweaks you could make to your day that would help ease the pressure.
Recently, I have been working with clients to help them get a better routine and a little more structure in their day to help ease the stress load.
Here are some ideas that you might like to try:
Get outside every morning. Daylight is so important, and especially first thing, as it helps to re-set our sleep-wake cycle and rebalance levels of the stress hormone cortisol and the sleep hormone, melatonin. Go for a walk or run first thing and enjoy the springtime mornings, no matter what the weather is doing! If you don’t have time or a walk, then take your morning cuppa outside, hang a load of washing on the line, or just step out in your garden for a few minutes to start your day in a healthier way instead of scrolling social media or watching morning TV.
Think about your breakfast the night before. If you like to eat breakfast first thing, set out the ingredients for a healthy start to your day. You might want to switch things up a bit and move away from your winter warming porridge to something a little lighter for springtime mornings. Try overnight oats, a low sugar granola with flaxseed, natural yoghurt and berries, or set out a couple of eggs to make a decent omelette for a protein powered breakfast.
If you feel stressed, anxious or rushed first thing, try swapping your morning coffee for a green tea. You’ll still get the advantage of the caffeine in green tea, but with an added hit of antioxidants and a little l-theanine - an ingredient with calming effects on the nervous system.
Take time out of your busy day to notice nature. Get outside, or even just look out the window. What can you see, what can you smell, what can you feel, what can you hear? This helps balance your sympathetic (fight-or-flight ) mode and your parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) mode and has been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety levels.
If your evenings are a whirlwind of making packed lunches, running kids to clubs and trying to fit in your own exercise, then make life a little easier on yourself and get into the habit of making enough packed lunches for 2 or 3 days. That way you are cutting your time, energy and effort, and making sure you get a decent meal at lunchtime the next day. Some ideas include super salads, packed with seasonal vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds and a portion of protein (feta, egg, chicken, fish, beans or lentils), or make a bit pot of chunky soup and have with oatcakes and cheese.
Switch off all screens and devices at least an hour before bedtime and do something to ease you into a restful sleep. Read a book, download a mindfulness meditation or listen to calming music.
Enjoy the Easter break and take the downtime to chill out, rest and relax.
This blog post first appeared as my column in The Irish News on Saturday 16th April 2022.