WE HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF HOURS IN THE DAY AS BEYONCÉ
Undertow Media delves into the burgeoning health and wellness industry and how stress affects us today.
US high school teacher Brett Phillips has been making headlines for his unusual tips and techniques for teaching students to deal with stress and lead happier, healthier lifestyles. One of Phillips’ students posted his now-famous ‘101 ways to counter stress’ list online, which has since garnered over 25,000 retweets and 30,000 likes.
The idea behind his list, to slow down, appreciate the little things and do all you can now to prevent stress later, is something we should all take on board given the fact Kiwis are a particularly stressed bunch (especially those living in the big smoke, apparently). So the team at Undertow Media thought we would delve into the quest for wellness, a little deeper.
M2’s recent take on the 2016 Quality of Life Project Report shows Aucklanders have the second to lowest quality of life rating in the country, scoring only slighter higher than Christchurch (which, as you’d guess, came in last due to exceptionally high stress levels).
The report canvassed over 7,000 kiwis in seven cities and highlighted 81% of respondents answered positively when asked about their quality of life. While this is a fairly good result overall, there’s certainly room for improvement – especially in our beloved city of Auckland!
Financial woes, health issues, professional burn-out, overcommitted social diaries and raising a family are just some of the stresses many of us face on a daily basis. Intense stress is not only bad for our sanity – it’s bad for our physical health, with links to every major illness including heart disease, cancer and depression.
Brett Phillips’ anti-stress list and results from the Quality of Life Report inspired the Undertow Media team to put together our own list for managing stress in today’s crazy, busy, beautiful world. We challenge you to implement some of the below ideas into your own life and watch your worries (and wrinkles!) start to slowly disappear…
Eat real foods
When it comes to managing your mood, fruits and vegetables are gold. Cheap, easy to source, nutritious gold. Swap your sugary afternoon treat for a bowl of berries and yoghurt – the antioxidants and phytonutrients found in berries help improve your body’s response to stress.
Learn to say no
Too much to do and not enough time to do it – it’s a feeling most of us know only too well. Learn to prioritise your precious moments of downtime and only commit to things you can (and want) to do. Blowing off after-work drinks isn’t the end of the world if it means you can finally catch up with your best friend, or, even better, sit at home in your pyjamas with a glass of wine watching Stranger Things.
Surround yourself with likeminded people
This applies to all aspects of your life – surround yourself with ambitious people at work, encouraging trainers at the gym, a supportive partner at home and positive friends all around you. We naturally adopt the attitudes of those closet to us, so be selective.
Get amongst nature
NZ has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world – go and take advantage of it! Our environment has the ability to greatly influence our stress levels and feelings of wellbeing, so it’s no surprise that getting amongst nature is an easy way to instantly lift your mood. If you can’t find a mountain to climb, a beach to swim at or a waterfall to take a selfie with, a brisk 15 minute walk in the fresh air will do wonders for your energy and concentration levels.
Break a sweat
When it comes to tried and true stress remedies, you can’t beat good old-fashioned exercise, one of the key elements on the quest to wellness. Whether it’s a game of social netball with friends, downward-dogging your way through a yoga class, pounding the pavement with your favourite tunes blasting or sweating it out on the boxing bag – exercise is proven to eliminate stress and release feel-good endorphins.
Unplug yourself
As professionals, we’re always expected to be ‘on.’ While a certain amount of stress is good for us, it can also wreak havoc on our mental and physical wellbeing if not managed properly. When there’s an opportunity to unplug from the office, grab it. One of the worst things you can do is check your phone before you go to bed – which brings us to our last point, sleep!
Sleep
Stop relying on coffee. Without adequate sleep, our ability to manage stress is compromised – simple as that. If you wind down an hour before bed and catch at least 7-8 hours of zzz’s per night, you’ll be a much happier version of yourself (trust us!).
Small changes can make a huge difference to the way we feel, and luckily for us, the past few years have seen an explosion of exercise programs, organic produce, life coaches, educational podcasts and YouTube tutorials, health cafes and wellness bloggers to support our personal goals toward a healthier lifestyle.
With this in mind, there are also many lucrative opportunities for brands to make their mark on the burgeoning health and wellness industry. The Undertow Media team will certainly be watching this space closely to see how it evolves and to ensure we’re always sharing our clients’ stories with the right people, at the right time through the right channels.