April is National Stress Awareness month, so we should use this opportunity to step back and look at our lives from a different point of view.
Carole Ann Rice
We’re all aware of the common stresses in life – work, family, money – but there are other surprising factors in our busy lives that may be impacting us! Top Life Coach Carole Ann Rice has the experience to know what causes stress in one’s life and as such she has come up with 5 hidden stresses in your life that may surprise you:
SOCIAL MEDIA – we’re all part of the social media craze, whether it be with Facebook or Instagram. It’s hard to resist checking up to see pictures of ‘Lisa’s’ trip to Belize or seeing what your high school friend ‘Andy’ is up to. However, the constant contact with others may be causing stress and resentment as you feel pressured to ‘compete’ or show to others that your life isn’t boring. Not to mention the immense amount of time social media takes, which can be better spent on other things.
CUTTING THE MIDDLE MAN – although we all lead busy lives with work and other commitments, preparing your day is key! Stress may be caused by not having fresh food in the house and as such resorting to living on take-away food only. Also, failing to do laundry regularly can cause us to feel pressured when we have no clean or ironed clothes ready. The key is to plan accordingly and have certain days where you buy groceries and do laundry, so you’re ready for anything life throws your way!
YES MAN – we may find it heartless or mean to say ‘No’, but it is sometimes necessary! Having poor boundaries with others means you often put their needs above your own. Trying to spread yourself too thin can lead to you jumping to the tune of others and doing favours for them when you’re already exhausted and behind with your own work. The best way to avoid stress is to only commit to what you can handle and make sure you have time for yourself.
PERFECTIONISM – the pressure to be perfect is undoubtedly stressful! Perfectionists deliberate and over-work things to the point where tasks that should take minutes can take hours. Perfectionists are not being their best selves as they are operating out of control and fear instead of aiming for progress. Where there is perfectionism there is shame, and stress.
TIME BANDITS – we all have that friend who is religiously late to everything, no matter it’s importance. They often have excuses for their tardiness but being late is doing more harm than good. Not only do they likely annoy their friends/ colleagues, but they are causing unnecessary stress for themselves. Be realistic in managing your time and always build in a safety net of extra time in case of hold ups and to prevent that adrenaline stress rush.
Carole Ann Rice from Real Coaching Co is one of the UK’s leading life coaches and personal development experts. She helps people all around the world discover the best version of themselves. Much of her work involves focusing on the here and now and is different to what you may experience in therapy.
Life coaching is all about goal-setting and implementing techniques to achieve success and true happiness. Carole Ann, Winner of Best Coach in the Best Business Women’s Awards 2017, works with her clients to improve relationships, diet, energy, health and well-being and confidence.
Carole Ann’s clients are empowered – as she believes in you even when you don’t! She’s 100% committed to your success and offers continued support every step of the way.