This week I have a guest blogger from New Zealand here to give you some tips on dealing with stress. Her name is Rachael Schedewy from the Girls Got Curves blog. Rachael has some great ideas and if you want to read more from her, you can find her blog, Facebook and Instagram links below. Enjoy!

Today’s world is non-stop and full on. There aren’t many of us who don’t find ourselves stressed out from time to time.

We all have busy lives no matter what your normal day consists of. Whether you are dealing with the stress of looking after children all day long while trying to run your household, or if you are trying to juggle a career with family life, or if you are trying to find your place in the world. There are daily stresses all around us, not to mention the big stresses that life tends to throw at us every now and then.

Stress can play havoc on our mental and physical health and on our relationships if we don’t know how to minimise and control it.

We need to find ways to cope with this stress and these are my top tips for doing just that.

1. Get organised – Organisation is key for keeping stress away in the first place! Write checklists, declutter your home so things are easy to find in a rush, prepare meals in advance, organise your closet so outfits are easy to pick, organise your files.

2. Don’t sweat the small stuff – When you feel your stress levels rising, take a minute to assess the situation. Is it something that really deserves your energy? Is it worth changing your mood over? Are you about to stress out and yell at the kids just because they didn’t put their plate in the dishwasher? Or can you take a deep breath and calmly tell them to come and sort it out and then move on?

3. Take control of what you can – Feeling like I am not in control is a major stress trigger for me. Try and take back the power. If the stress is coming from your financial situation, sit down, work out a budget that you can stick to. If you are in debt, work out how much you can pay back a week, call the company you are in debt to and work out a payment plan. Sweeping it under the rug and hoping it will go away, or hoping you will be able to afford to pay it next week (when you know you won’t) will not help the situation and the stress will only get worse.

4. Take a break – I’m not saying go off for a week long tropical island getaway (though if that is an option, definitely go for it!). When you feel yourself start to stress out, step back from the situation if possible. Take a shower, go for a quick stroll, sit down and have a cuppa. Do something else for 10 minutes and then come back and tackle the situation with a fresh mind.

5. Get some exercise – Exercise is a fantastic stress relief, you can practically feel the stress melting away with every step, lift or downward dog.

6. Talk to someone – Without a doubt, talking it out is one of the most effective stress relievers. Choose someone you trust and pour your heart out. Tell them what is stressing you out. They may have a fabulous solution, but usually not. But your end game is not a solution, it is just to get it off your chest because sometimes that is all you need.

7. Do something you love – Take up a hobby or a sport, something that is for you, that you enjoy doing. I recently joined a social netball team and it is great fun! I feel on top of the world after each game (even though we keep losing!).

8. Look on the bright side – It is easy to get consumed by the negatives but take a moment to think of the positives in your life. It may help minimise some of those stresses. We take turns each night to say the worst and best thing in our day. It is a good way to give the kids an opportunity to say anything that is troubling them and then we have a chance to reflect on the good in our day, no matter how small.

Following these 8 tips will definitely help you to deal with stress and live a much happier life. Don’t turn to the chocolate biscuits and the wine, well, not every time!

Rachael Schedewy Bio

Rachael Schedewy is a working mother, wife, self-proclaimed geek, healthy living and lifestyle writer and recipe developer. She thrives on creating affordable, healthy recipes and trying to break through the perception of it being too expensive to eat healthy.

She’s passionate about inspiring others to lead a healthy life by eating simple, delicious food without the big price tag or the gourmet cooking skills. Her passion stems from her husband’s cancer diagnoses and her own health issues making her realise that she had to put more effort into her own, and her families health.

Rachael is very open, truthful and straight to the point about her life, her values and her flaws. She does not sugar coat her food, herself or her opinions.

You can find her at:

Blog: www.girlsgotcurves.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlsgotcurves

Twitter: https://instagram.com/girlsgotcurves/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/girlsgotcurves/