Stress-free

(Living Well)
By Kikelola Oyebola
It is inevitable that one gets stressed once in a while with modern living. What should be avoided perhaps is letting stress accumulate for too long in the body or allowing it to happen all the time. Preventing it from building up to the point where it has to be managed, in the first place, remains the best remedy. At this level, experts have to be consulted and professional approach adopted for the treatment. In most cases, it becomes an on-going process, which in itself is another form of stress.
In spite of everything, however, there are certain steps that can be taken to avoid or keep stress at a manageable level, which will not require the professional ‘touch.’
“One of the effective means of keeping stress at bay is by avoiding working under too much pressure,” says Bolu Faloye of Deslim Outfit, Ikeja. “Work pressures constitute the largest percentage of every stress problems. So, if people can find a way of reducing this pressure and working more in a relaxed atmosphere, the problem will be half-solved.”
Creating conducive atmosphere for their workers then becomes a must for employers. To be also included under this are other areas affecting workers’ welfare. In this regard, it is pertinent that the habit of taking work home is avoided. “Some are in the habit of extending their offices to the home front. But this is wrong. As much as possible, work should be limited to the office alone. Only seldom should work be taken home and this is in emergency situation when it becomes absolutely necessary,” Faloye says. The home is purposely to serve as a relaxing and recuperating place after a hard day’s work.
At work, it can be beneficial to take a nap especially if the body demands it, preferably during lunch break when there is least disturbance. “It has been discovered that such naps are very healthy and they make up for sleep lost at night for those who don’t fall asleep immediately after hitting their beds. Some people who indulge in the afternoon naps have reported feeling invigorated afterwards. They go back to work feeling refreshed and energised than before.”
But aside this, it is equally important that individuals go on vacation when appropriate. Such has the capacity to restore back into the system all that has been lost to work and other everyday hassles. Even the change of scene offered by such breaks goes a long way to recover much.
Leisure also helps manage stress. Worries and anxieties should not be condoned at all. Nothing piles up stress easily in the body as much as worries and anxieties. This twin burden also hastens the ageing process in people. Individuals, of necessity, have to find ways of coping with their problems without these degenerating into worries and anxieties.