5.2 Lifestyle

Lifestyle is also key to the experience of stress. We can become accustomed to rushing around all the time, constantly trying to pack many things into our days and always running late. Working roles that cover more than one function or spread to cover the work of a colleague who has retired and hasn’t been replaced mean more stress and sometimes longer working hours. Many people also work shifts, including the night working that we know plays havoc with our biochemistry.

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At the same time, our home lives can be busier than they once were, with tangible stressors like children’s activities to manage, but also the less tangible pressure of the intrusion of the apparently idyllic lives of others into our lives via social media, making some feel inadequate or inducing ‘FOMO’. This can be hugely stressful.

And all the while, time is short, and we can suffer from inability to sleep well or simply not getting enough time to relax. It is relaxation that is the antidote to stress and without it stress builds up.