Stress relief: 21 simple hacks to give anxiety the heave ho
Just. So. Stressed? You're not alone. Recent statistics have revealed that the average adult feels stressed for five-and-a-half years of their life.
Between managing money woes, juggling to-do lists and dodging daily relationship battles, it's little wonder the average Brit spends two hours and 11 minutes of every day feeling stressed. That's more than 15 hours a week on the anxiety treadmill or a whole Game of Thrones box set. Not good.
And stress doesn't just affect our mental wellbeing it can have a bearing on our overall health too, with 62% of people reporting that stress has affected their health and 31% having taken time off work as a result.
67% per cent of people believe their body reacts physically to stress, causing them to suffer more headaches, stomach discomfort, colds, skin flare-ups and sore throats. Three in ten have also fallen ill due to stress, with another 15 per cent saying it has made an existing health complaint worse.
Alison Cullen, a spokesman for A.Vogel, which commissioned the research to look at the impact of stress on immunity said: "Ongoing stress causes the body to put everything on hold except immediate survival. Areas such as fertility, detoxing, and immune cells patrolling to check for infections are neglected. The result is more cold and flu infections, which in turn cause more stress.
"Many people neglect their health because their schedules are so pressurised; ironically, though, spending a little time on your health can save spending a lot of time being ill."
With that in mind, and to coincide with National Stress Awareness Day (November 2nd), we've put together our simple stress squashing tips. Little changes = big results for your mental and physical wellbeing.
11 signs you’re more stressed than you think
We could all do with reading this ‘101 ways to cope with stress’ list
