Switching off on Holiday is VITAL to our Health

Many people do not switch off on holiday

With the rise in home working, hybrid working and the ease of technology – many people find they work every day on their holiday or weekends off.

The lines become blurred between work and home life or leisure time

Some workers do have pressure piled on them to perform and be productive, or can risk being missed off the Rota or bonus incentives.

This can cause huge stress and anxiety – leading to Burnout.

Excessive pressure is actually counterproductive as productivity levels actually fall.

Rising stress levels and tiredness leads to loss of concentration – resulting in accidents, which involves monetary costs, loss of hours through sickness or injury and therefore loss in productivity, and risking losing a good reputation.

Mental and Physical Health can be seriously compromised, not to mention what it does to home life and relationships.

Blood pressure can go up, there can be trouble sleeping and tension at home and not being present when you are there.

Strong argument to switch off, however many do not!

So, despite strong arguments for a total detox by switching off – why is it people don’t? Other than the pressures already mentioned, there is also the pressure we put on ourselves.

Sometimes it is FOMO – the Fear Of Missing Out and that maybe things won’t run as well if we are not there!

For some it is the need to provide, to pay the bills and of course this is important and an absolute necessity, but we mostly find – the more we earn the more we spend!

Time is a commodity we cannot get back.

Maybe we are so passionate about our work that we believe we don’t need a break from it – the saying ‘If you love what you do, then you never work a day in your life’ – Great! However, your life generally does not consist of just You, or if it does then where does that leave you, if one day you turn around from your hours of hard work and find you are alone?  That may sound profound, however ‘No person is an Island’ and everyone needs balance in their life and times where love and support is needed

Holidays = Priceless & VITAL

Holidays – a total switch off & detox from your normal work routine, regardless of what that ‘holiday’ entails really is priceless

We can have pressures to have super-duper holidays that break the bank – which is not recommended you don’t want your holiday to be cause of more stress and feeling the need to work long hours to pay for it. It can take some careful planning and budgeting, but once you have decided on your holiday – then be fully invested in the precious time off.

Time off makes your happier

Having proper ‘time out’ and ‘switching off’ is something you can’t quantify. Recharging your batteries, connecting with those closest to you, and the things you enjoy doing and having good ‘ole FUN makes you a happier, more connected, balanced, productive person.

Connect and be fully present

Connecting with the people closest to you and being fully present, is something you and they will treasure for all their lives. Children especially value having you around and that you value spending your time with them. When you are always in ‘work mode’ the people around you feel they are not important to you.

Recharge your batteries

Have FUN and rekindle old hobbies or find new ones

Create precious memories

Totally switch your mind off gives you space & helps your find solutions or come up with great ideas

You feel Happier and Healthier

Leave work at work

So, decide how important the things that happen in work are while you are on holiday? What difference could you make from your sun lounger – really?

Plan effectively before you go; delegate tasks, or put them on hold, put trust in your staff (if you have them), let clients know you are ‘out of office’ and look forward to connecting with them when you are back – they absolutely get it.

If you are an employer; showing you respect and value your employees’ time off and their well-being – you get loyal more productive staff. Being valued is number 1 for employees.

Have confidence to set your boundaries and recognise the importance of investing in your health & well-being – you will have the best time and come back refreshed and ready to go.

So, go on – switch that ‘out of office’ on for emails and leave the work phone at home – why not? You have earnt it!

Andrea

Social Media & Mental Health

Social Media is so woven into our lives now and can be a great platform for showcasing amazing stories of success, recovery & resilience that gives inspiration and hope to others.

A common theme in many of these great stories, is the support and love of family, friends and work colleagues.

It can be hard to understand, that for some people these great stories are a difficult read.

Not everyone has loving family around them, or supportive friends & colleagues, for a vast array of reasons, to help them when they are struggling with their mental or physical health concerns or to be their personal cheerleaders.

There are many people who are the ‘rock’ in their family/ friend or business life and feel they ‘have to be ok’ and feel they can’t turn to those closest to them and see their struggle as ‘failure’ when compared to others achievements.

Social Media positive & negative

There are many people who are the ‘rock’ in their family/ friend or business life and feel they ‘have to be ok’ and feel they can’t turn to those closest to them and see their struggle as ‘failure’ when compared to others achievements.

Things to do that may help

  • Try taking a social media holiday
  • Do not compare yourself, your ‘journey’ to that of others – you are not them and they are not you and mostly you’re seeing a snapshot of what that person has been though to get from A to B. We’re all truly individual and our experiences are our own and we experience everything in our own way too.
  • Do look at what inspires you though and what you think you could try, that appeals to you.
  • Write down at least 3 things about yourself that you are happy about or proud of – it can be anything
  • Get out into nature as much as you can
  • Take time to breathe and have ‘time out’ in your day – just for you
  • Listen to music
  • Write down all your thoughts in a piece of paper – then rip it up or shred it – a great way to get those thoughts you don’t want out of your head
  • Join a group activity like learning crafts or walking. It can feel so hard to do initially, but you’ll be glad you did.
  • And definitely find deep inside you – the courage and confidence to take the first step to getting some support, whether through your GP or the many organisations who offer tips on their websites, text / chat options or people to speak to over the phone or in person
  • It is okay to not be okay and to ask for help

Andrea

Confidence to be your best You

I am so pleased to announce a three week course to help you to develop your Confidence.
 
Do you wish you had more Confidence talking to others?
Have your Confidence levels dropped due to illness or redundancy, or having children and you seem to have lost who you are?
 
Would you like more confidence in your job or business, within your relationships or to feel confident developing new ones? Would you like to present yourself well and feel happier on the inside, because you are confident being YOU?
 
I create a welcoming, safe environment and with small group numbers – or the option to join via Zoom (video link)
You will gain so much from starting this journey, and will go away with lots that you can put into practice – that works for You.
 
Suitable for teenagers from 14 and up *must be accompanied if under 18.
 
*limited availability*
*please message me or email me for more details and payment confidencecoach@andreabarker.co.uk – or use the Eventbrite link

 

 

Confidence and Well-Being

 

There are many areas of our Health and Well-being that we can focus on; exercising to gain strength; working on a good posture; eating a well balanced diet, for health generally and to maintain a healthy weight.

If we have a physical problem causing pain, or embarrassment, we will seek help. At Holcombe Health Clinic, where I hire a room, there is such a wonderful variety of expertise available.

All of the above also have an affect on your Mental Well-being- we know how amazing exercise is for making you feel better in yourself, or how much better you feel when irradiating physical pain, or seeing and feeling the benefits eating more healthily.

I work on the area of Mental Well-being, your Mental Health, in many different ways, helping you to understand how your mind works, how to manage Stress and Anxiety and develop and grow your Confidence and Self-esteem.

Our Mental Well-being is so important to how we function on a day to day basis, how productive we are, and it affects whether we try new things, reach our potential, go for a new job / promotion, how we perform in exams and it affects our relationships – whether with family, friends, work colleagues, and our personal relationships, and most importantly the relationship we have with ourselves.

 

Stress and Anxiety

Many of us will have had times we have felt stressed, and will understand how it affects our ability to make decisions, increasing the risk of making mistakes, it affects our sleep and causes muscle tension and headaches etc… generally stress is temporary, and when the cause of the stress is resolved- we take a sigh of relief. If stress is prolonged it can cause many other health concerns, so learning to manage stress is important.

Anxiety is something different, but stress can cause anxiety and vice-versa.

Anxiety is generally fear of what may happen in the future – anxiety and fear causes our body to release adrenaline so we are ready to Fight Fright (freeze) Flight (run – or avoid altogether) This is a natural process and is especially useful to us when we are under genuine threat, by keeping us safe or to help us survive. When someone is a ‘sufferer of Anxiety’- then you are in an almost permanent state of Fight Fright Flight to a threat that is mostly not real, our imagination is a powerful thing, however, this usually happens for very good reason. This prolonged state can understandably cause exhaustion and like stress, affect sleep too.

The good news is, that once you understand Stress and Anxiety you can manage it and feel human and normal, for you, again.

Mindfulness is a great way to start- as bringing yourself into the present moment and being present with yourself has a calming effect- just focusing on your breath or taking 3 slow meaningful breaths can help. Just taking time out in nature – even 10 minutes is very beneficial, there are studies around how amazing being outside is for us and our mental well-being, especially being around trees or in lovely open expanses. Another great tool is music, as it has a powerful affect on our mood, and can change our mood in an instant, so having calming or uplifting upbeat music can really help you feel better. Animals also can have a very calming effect, get you out, or make you laugh. Laughter is also incredibly at shifting mood.

Confidence and Self-Esteem

Stress and Anxiety can also have an impact on your Confidence levels. Many things can dent your confidence, and we are all the same in that respect, and may feel more confident in one situation and not another.  Confidence therefore can fluctuate depending on circumstances and experiences. Confidence is an ‘intangible’ thing – a feeling, and different for us all, and is also linked to our skills and knowledge and how confident we feel in our ability to deliver what is needed, or to speak out and / or help ourselves or help others.

Where there are deeper confidence issues and low self-esteem (how you feel about yourself) can greatly impact many life decisions, maybe not going for what you want and ‘putting up’ with situations and people. Essentially, it is about your self-worth and feeling confident enough to stick up for You, or to go to an exercise class, or address weight issues, or to go on a date and crucially to say No to what you don’t want.

I find that for many people I see, it has taken enormous courage to take the first step. Once you do, it is important to go at the pace that suits you. Most people fear change, because it is a ‘threat’ to us, an unknown! So small sustainable steps are best.

One thing that can help- is to write down your achievements – start with little things like when you learnt to read and write, maybe you learnt to ride a bike, swim 100 meters… and then keep going! You’ll be amazed.

Also Gratitude is so powerful and positive, think of all the things you are grateful for, small things and big things; like having running water, a lovely close friend, a park nearby, for pets, or things and people who make you smile – this is a great exercise to do daily – get a note book and write down 3 things that made you smile – and do it at the end of every day, this switches your mind to think of the positives – even if the day wasn’t the best day.

I really hope that this helps

Please do contact me if you would like to know more about what I do.

Andrea

6 week course ‘Confidence to be your Best You’

I am delighted to be running a 6 week course

The results I have had so far from other courses is amazing and I am so passionate about helping you develop Confidence and feel happier about being YOU and to go forward with what you want to do.

I have published the courses on social media and already had such amazing support and feedback

‘Liz Bylett – This is such an awesome course, I had the pleasure of attending a class that Andre ran which was very similar, yes I am very confident in many areas of my life but I believe we can all learn something new and Andrea’s extensive knowledge in this area inspires and embeds tools and resilience to deal with life’s challenges.

Yes it was brilliant wasn’t it?? Thoroughly recommended! – Julie Quick

I am working with Andrea now and she is amazing . X   – Julie B

Sarah Hawes – This course will be amazing if you’re looking to be more confident and happy.
I can highly recommend Andrea – she has changed my life with her hypnotherapy and is such a lovely person – just right for a course like this!’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a2b-6-week-course-confidence-to-be-your-best-you-tuesdays-tickets-49530037676?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a2b-6-week-course-confidence-to-be-your-best-you-saturdays-tickets-49530581302?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

 

I hope to see You

Andrea

Stress and Anxiety

A lot of people who come to see me are suffering with what they think is Anxiety, when in fact it is Stress and overwhelm.

Mindfulness practice can help, even just taking a deep slow breath, and giving yourself a ‘PAUSE’ to then choose and decide how you would like to proceed – even if it is to take some time out from a situation, even for 10 minutes.

Do you need to be saying ‘NO’  to taking on more than you can cope with? If you want to do a great job for someone – which is also taking on their expectations and standards too, coupled with your own – do you really have the time to do a great job for them?

A great way to say ‘No’ is ‘Let me check I have the time, to do a good job for you‘ – then really think about whether you do have the time, or that you even want to do what is being asked of you. you can say ‘No’ but add,’ it’s only No for now, as I’m so busy and can’t take anything else on‘ or is it maybe time that someone took their own responsibility – maybe you could offer to do part of what is being asked – if they also do their bit!

You can question why you may always be saying ‘Yes’

Questions to ask yourself – which can help you with Stress and Anxiety

‘What’s the worst that could happen – really?’       Think about this question – what is the worst really? in some scenarios it could be that someone is unhappy, even angry, that you are not doing what they want. Can you deal with that? probably you can.

‘is how I feel right now helpful to me and the situation?’ then ask yourself ‘what would serve me and the situation better?’ It takes a bit of practice, but if you forget to ask yourself – you will then reflect – which is all a process of learning – do cut yourself some slack – you’re a human, with emotions, and if you are stressed or anxious, your emotions are heightened.

For Anxiety – a great question is ‘where is my evidence that what I am worried about IS going to happen?’ Anxiety is worrying and projecting that worry into the future ‘what if…’ – something that happened in the past, is not evidence for what has not happened yet! If you are able to think instead of the best possible outcome (you can if you can think of the worst!) then your ‘mindset’ changes – into one of possibility – this then means you approach the situation differently, more positively – so the ‘odds’ of things going better than expected are raised.

So, ‘what if…it goes better than expected? that I meet someone interesting, or have fun, or make a valuable connection, or I am able to make someone smile, help them and make their day better?’

YOU CAN 🙂

please contact me if you want to know more

S is for Stress – 30 tips to help you feel less stressed

Stress is most normally due to an external factor.

We have all felt ‘stressed’ at times, even ‘super stressed’ when for example it reaches house moving day or starting a new job / business, school or college. Or if there are financial problems, work concerns, or a breakdown in relationships, at home or at work, or family concerns.

We generally do get through it though, because there is usually an end to it, and once the ‘pressure’ is off, you can sigh with relief and the state of feeling stressed will dissipate. It can be frustrating if things don’t go exactly as planned, but we do generally cope, once the cause has been dealt with effectively, or a resolution is found, the stress then lessens and normally goes all together

In certain situations that a certain amount of stress and anxiety is expected and can drive us forward, like when taking an exam, doing a public speech, acting, performing in a competition whether sports, or music etc…

In a work situation feeling pressured into accomplishing a job by a certain deadline, can focus your attention to complete the task, likewise with a written assignment or project, and motivate you to do your best.

We all deal with stress differently and usually manage to alleviate it effectively and positively

Stress is a normal part of life and apart from a heightened level of cortisol, it is usually mixed in with a healthy dose of adrenaline, to sharpen our responses, (not quite to the same level of heightened anxiety which occurs in a threatening or dangerous situation – the ‘fight fright flight’ response, which ultimately can save our life). Though there can be similar physical symptoms due to the release of cortisol, and the adrenal glands releasing adrenaline, like a more rapid heart beat and sweating, but stress tends to not to include feelings of impending doom like anxiety, it is rather feelings of being pressured or frustrated, or ‘up against it’.

However, a stressed state can not be sustained day in and day out, it stops being helpful to you if prolonged, and becomes known as Chronic Stress.

When stress takes over, and you start to feel overwhelmed and constantly time pressured. Having unrealistic demands and goals to reach, in unreasonable time frames, set by yourself or others, and cease to find enjoyment in what you do.

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