Remember the days you felt carefree & full of vitality? Are your days now filled deadlines, traffic jams and overwhelming commitments? Enjoy 5 Wellness Tips which could make all the difference in decreasing your stress & boosting your vitality.

1. First of all….Remember to Breath! Remembering to breathe when you are stressed helps to turn your mind ‘off’ (so don’t do it when you are driving!). Taking a few deep breaths and focusing on your breath will help take you out of an anxious state and bring you back to earth. It can help put things into perspective.

2. Get enough sleep. Most of us don’t get enough of it. If you are getting less than 7 hours per night, then you might need to review your bedtime. It is essential to be in bed before midnight, otherwise your stress hormone, cortisol, will start to rise in the wee hours of the morning, waking you up and not let you get back to sleep.

3. Eat properly. If your mum was always harping on you to eat a well balanced, wholesome diet, then she was right. You need to eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. This keeps your blood sugar levels consistent and your stress levels down. It s also about the type of foods you eat- lots of fruit, veggies and protein based meals. These days with so many foods claiming to be ‘healthy’, it’s hard to know what to believe. Seeing a Qualified Nutritionist or Naturopath can point you in the right direction.

4. Cut the Coffee- Are you screaming NOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooo??? If like most people you enjoy coffee, cut it down to one in the morning. (Cutting it out would be even better).

5. Have some ‘Me Time’. Can you remember the last time you went for a stroll on the beach by yourself, went to a yoga or meditation class or read your favorite book? If not, then it might be a good idea to pencil it into your diary. This is an important appointment!

If you want to see exactly where your stress levels are at, nlabs.com.au offers a saliva stress test, which shows your cortisol & DHEA levels. These stress hormones can go up, but can also become depleted, playing a role in many illnesses. It’s best to keep them consistent.

So breathe, sleep, eat properly and take time out and get a whole new lease on life!