In the last issue we talked about taking care of yourself.
In this issue we are going to learn why it’s important to
take life with a grain of salt.

Not letting things get to you and taking life with a grain
of salt is the answer to living a happy stress free life; it
is when we don’t realize how much stress is building up
because of holding things back, worrying about things and
harboring grudges that many problems occur in life. When
things are allowed to build up we get overwhelmed but there
are many techniques that we can use to slow down, relax
and take life that little bit easier when our feelings threaten
to overwhelm us.

If we don’t learn to take things with a grain of salt and not
worry about every little thing and stress becomes habitual
then it can have a severe effect on your health. “Burnout” is
the term that is commonly used and you can burnout through
problems caused by work, your lifestyle or individual
personality characteristics.

The symptoms of burnout can be varied but all have an
adverse effect on health and happiness over the long term if
you don’t change the situation that causes it.

A loss of physical energy:

If you are continually faced with stress then it can have a
draining effect on your body and mind, this will make you
feel as though you have less energy and can make you totally
lethargic. You may no longer have the interests you once had
or the social life you once did, even the thought of getting out
of bed may seem like too much trouble.

Frustration:

Stress leads to frustration because you may feel sad for no
particular reason, impatient or even ever changing moods, this
will eventually lead to you feeling as though you are losing
control over your life or that you no longer have the ability to
control it.

Problems in relationships:

You may find that you are letting relationships slide, this
could be because you find yourself losing patience with people
around you, you have less interest in things you used to do
with others or you feel you cant mix with people you used to
like being with.

A pessimistic outlook:

When you are feeling burnout it gets increasingly harder to
become excited about life and the things you used to do and
enjoy, your thoughts turn ever increasingly to negative ones
rather than positive and you find it harder to look on the
bright side in any situation. It becomes almost impossible
to take life with a grain of salt and let even the smallest of
things roll off your back and you gradually get deeper into
a rut.

Here are some quick tips to avoid burning out:

– Learn a relaxation technique such as meditation.

– Get plenty of exercise every week.

– Make sure you eat a sensible and healthy diet.

– Take time out for yourself everyday.

– Learn to shrug your shoulders and cast aside anything that
you cannot possible change.

– Do something that you enjoy doing everyday.

– In a particularly stressful time, relax as best as you can, take
slow deep breaths and count to ten.

Make sure you look for your next issue soon. We will
talk about the best way to deal with problem solving.