Online ShopThe bride’s stress-free wedding
So if someone shows you another table setting you’ll scream? Here’s how to beat pre-wedding stress.
You thought planning your wedding would be one of the best times of your life but you're feeling stressed, worn out and fed up with the whole thing. Not only has your life been taken over by dress fittings and wedding lists, but you're starting to get anxious about the big day - not to mention the fact that you are about to make the biggest commitment of your life!
It's quite common for prospective brides -- and grooms -- to suffer from pre-wedding nerves. Planning a wedding is stressful; whether it's due to the expense, the sheer volume of things to do or the fact that you can't stand the sight of your prospective in-laws.
As a rule of thumb, it's only if these misgivings last for several weeks that you need to consider seriously if you're doing the right thing. Take a deep breath and tell your partner how you feel. Consider putting the wedding date back to give you both time to resolve any issues.
But remember, most people have wobbly moments as their wedding approaches. Getting married is a big deal. It's meant to be forever and, as the song goes, that's a mighty long time. Frankly, you should probably worry more if you're not scared! Just roll with it and try to look after yourself as much as possible.
Eating to stay calm
Yes, it's boring and you've heard it all before, but eating healthily really can help you cope. Make sure you eat a balanced diet, rich in wholefoods and fresh fruit and veg (aim for five portions a day). Bananas, green leafy veg, fish and oats are all natural stressbusters. Cut down on salt, sugar and refined stuff, and don't overdo stimulants such as tea, coffee and alcohol.
Work it out
Hundreds of studies have shown exercise to be a significant stressbuster and mood-enhancer. Frequent aerobic activity raises your fitness and energy levels, relaxes tense muscles and helps trigger 'feelgood' chemicals in the brain known as endorphins.
If you're not used to exercise, start with a stroll around the park, then gradually increase the amount. Join a gym or, better still, enrol with your fiancé, so you can encourage each other to go.
If the gym's not for you, find something you do enjoy doing, that way you're more likely to stick at it. Take up a team sport, like badminton -- then you'll have to turn up each week!
If all else fails, build a little exercise into your daily routine -- get off the bus two stops early or stop using the lift at work for a while.
Get some shut-eye
Sleep is the best relaxer of all, so make sure you get plenty. 'If you find you're lying awake worrying, keep a notebook by your bed and write your worries down,' says Sheila Lavery, author of The Healing Power of Sleep (Gaia, available in our gift shop lifestyle section -- can’t find book on site). 'Avoid coffee and tea from lunchtime onwards and eat at least two hours before you go to bed. If you're peckish late at night, eat a bowl of cereal with milk -- both contain the sleep-inducing chemical tryptophan.'
A poor sleep pattern is a strong stress trigger, leading to irritability, nerves and even temporarily reduced IQ! Aim to be in bed before midnight and/or to get eight hours a night. Tuck yourself up before you actually need to fall asleep, so you have an unwinding period when you can listen to gentle music or read.
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