National Stress Awareness Day, 2nd November 2022
What is stress?
Stress is the feeling of overwhelm and is the body’s response to pressure. There can be many things that cause us to feel stressed, such as uncertainty, something unexpected has happened and the loss of control of a situation. We can experience stress because of hard times, such as bereavement or relationship break-ups, but it can also be felt during the good times, such as moving house or a work promotion. Stress isn’t always a negative emotion. Often, it can motivate you and be the ‘push’ that you needed to help you get through this moment in life. However, stress in large quantities can have long-term impact on both our physical and mental health, leaving you unable to cope.
Signs of stress
It is important to recognise the signs of stress so that you are aware of yourself, and others. When there is understanding of stress it can make way for coping mechanisms and tricks and tips to help you feel better.
Stress can affect you physically and mentally. Common signs include headaches, muscle tension and a fast heartrate, and feelings of worry, being more irritable and feeling tearful or have a low mood. This small list is not exhaustive. There are many signs of stress and many causes.
Self-Care - How to support yourself and others with stress
Being able to manage your stress, or supporting others with their feelings, will be crucial in feeling better. Here are some top tips to help.
- Write it down.
When you're overthinking something and worried, write down all the things you're worried about. Cross out the ones that you can't control. Then deal with the ones you can.
Keeping a diary can also be helpful because it allows you to spot your ‘triggers’ and what causes you to feel stressed. - Talk to people.
The saying ‘sharing is caring’ is quite true in this instance. Talking to people you trust about how you are feeling will ‘offload’ your worries, and it can be helpful to hear from someone else’s perspective.
- Adjust your lifestyle.
This can be as simple as going for a walk in the fresh air, sleeping better at night or eating a nice healthy meal. Because when we look after our physical health, it greatly impacts our mental health too.
- Be kind to yourself.
Take a moment to yourself and try to enjoy the simple joys of life. Enjoy a cup of tea or relax in the bath. Because it’s okay to not feel okay, and it’s okay to take your time. The most important thing is to not give up, keep on trying and be kind to yourself.
Healing Together
Healing Together has recently expanded the library of programmes so that we can support even more people. One of the new programmes is a trauma informed programme to support children and young people who are experiencing ongoing stress and anxiety to feel and be calmer. The programme has been carefully put together to help CYP learn about how their body and brain can work together to help them feel safe and calm.
If you or you know anyone who would benefit from such a programme, then please get in touch with our Innovating Minds team. We would love to support you and those around you.
Find out more - https://www.healing-together.co.uk/healing-together
Email – info@innovatingmindscic.com