One of the most common questions asked is how does a person obtain ‘Balance.’ While gaining balance and a healthy wellbeing can be one of the simplest tasks to achieve being out of balance is also one of the most common issues we all face. Particularly, during stressful times. During these periods of high stress and anxiety if we stick to the basics we will be better equipped to handle the situation.
Simply put we are all emotional beings. As humans, we have a simple set of requirements. We need to eat, sleep and play. We also need to feel a sense of connection which can be a challenge in this technology age.
But back to basics, humans have primal needs and primal instincts. We are here to survive and to survive our bodies have some basic requirements. Without the necessary needs, our bodies start to shut down, become easily fatigued, and often we find ourselves acting more emotional perhaps easily irritated and without understanding why we are feeling this way.
How often after a restless sleep you wake up in the morning feeling cranky this is where the phrase ‘Did you get out of bed the wrong side?’ originates. Or when you have missed lunch, and you are finding yourself irritable also known as ‘hungangry’ – the phenomenon of feeling angry for no reason then realising that you haven’t eaten all day or missed meals.
Regular undisturbed sleep and healthy eating choices help you to keep your body fuelled and energised. There are national sleep recommendations on the minimum hours of sleep each person requires based on their age. Monitoring your sleep patterns, your mood, and energy levels each day for at least a week or two will help you to determine the minimum amount of sleep your body needs.
Your minimum sleep requirements are variable based on your personal and external influences. Having an understanding of this will help you to develop a balanced, healthy sleep pattern. When you are sleep deprived your body is in a sleep deficit, you cannot catch up on this lost sleep, and you go into a negative. Which then creates a cycle of fatigue and over tired feelings which drain your body and mind. This lack of regular sleep impacts your ability to function, make clear choices and slows down your response time and reflexes. Operating machinery such as driving while fatigued is equally as dangerous as drink driving.
Developing a sleep schedule and sleep routine even over the weekends will ensure that your body is well rested and not fatigued. Having a relaxing bedtime ritual will aide this process such as:
- a warm bath,
- a light snack,
- a warm non-caffeinated drink,
- a set time for bed each night,
- bedtime story,
- taking 3 to 10 calming deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth,
- writing down any pesky thoughts that are on your mind before going to bed.
Bedtime routines create a pattern for your body to be accustomed to which helps your body to unwind and automatically be ready to sleep at the set time each night and sleep through the evening.
Keeping your room for ‘sleep only’ ensures that your body and mind knows once your head has hit the pillow, it is time for snoozing. Assess your room for sleep readiness:
- make sure your bedroom is at the ideal temperature for you to have a comfortable sleep,
- there is no light coming through that will disturb you
- and no noises that need blocking out.
The bedroom needs to be free from electronic devices including Television, IPad, Mobile, Telephones, etc. the bedroom is for sleeping and relaxing. Most importantly make sure your mattress and pillows are comfortable. Otherwise, you may find yourself waking up with a stiff neck or back.
The body and brain need sleep to recover, develop, strengthen, repair and build new cells. During sleep, the body is at rest, the heart rates slow down, blood pressure dips and the body temperature drops. During sleep is the best time for the body to heal and repair. Healthy sleep patterns increase concentration and allow for clearer decision-making. Sleep deprivation impacts moods and can increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
Regular movement and exercise are vital to maintaining balance and wellbeing. Many studies have proven regular exercise and play helps to boost your mood, decreasing the risk of stress and depression and lowering the risk for mental health distress.
Exercise can be fun, any activity where there is movement is highly beneficial. Such as kicking the football, walking the dog, going for a swim you don’t have to run a marathon. Preferably pick an activity you enjoy and if you have friends who will join in is even better as this will help you to be more motivated to exercise and also helps you to feel socially engaged with people.
When you participate in physical activity, your body produces: feel good happy, positive endorphins. So back to basics, as human beings, our body produces many chemicals that need to be released, and regular exercise helps in this process by giving your emotions a positive outlet.
However, these endorphins can have a reverse impact if they are stored up in our bodies through exposure to stress and no positive outlet they can come out in our emotions such as feeling angry, anxious or unable to function ‘Fight, Flight or Freeze.’
Regular daily exercise and movement have been proved to increase a positive mood, improve self-esteem, reduce anxiety and promote a positive self-image. Above all, after participating in in any activity that increases your heart rate in the evening, it will be easier to fall asleep.
The reality is at times we will feel out of balance whether it is pressure from home, school or work sometimes the stress builds up. Taking yourself back to basics ensuring you exercise daily, maintain a healthy sleep pattern and eat healthy throughout the day. Will help you through this stressful time as you are providing your body with the essential needs, enabling you to function less on emotion and more with a clearer head space.