Stress Awareness Day

Stress awareness day emphasises the ways that stress can affect people and how it can be managed.

What is stress awareness day?

Stress Awareness Day takes place on Wednesday 1st November. It aims to highlight the ways that stress can have serious impacts on a person’s life. Stress is extremely common and impacts many people across the world, but there are other things you can also do to help cope with stress.

What is stress?

Millions of people around the UK experience stress, which is the feeling of being under too much emotional or mental pressure. If you are stressed, the body will release stress hormones, called cortisol.

What causes stress?

There are many reasons why we may feel stressed, including relationships, pressure, work and more. Stress can motivate us to get things done at times, but when stress piles up, this can leave us feeling unable to cope with things, and it may have a mental and physical impact.

What are the symptoms of stress?

Stress can affect your mental health and may cause feelings such as:

• Anxiousness
• Irrtiability
• Confusion
• Headaches

How to identify signs of stress

Realising when stress is becoming a problem is important. If you can highlight the physical and emotional signs that you are stressed, then you can begin to find ways to cope with stress. You shouldn’t ignore any physical signs, such as:

• Tense muscles
• Tiredness
• Migraines

You should also think about the things that could be causing you stress, and organise them into things that you can change, or will get better with time, and things you can’t do anything about. Once you have done this, you can plan to address the things that you can do something about, such as:

• Setting yourself realistic expectations
• Handing over some work/tasks to others
• Prioritising any essential tasks or commitments
• Asking for help
• Saying no to things that you are unable to do

Additionally, are there changes to your lifestyle that you could make? For example, if you are taking on too much, could you hand some things over to other people, or prioritise and reorganise plans, so that you are trying not to do everything at once.

Activities to cope with stress

• Get outside – Spending some time outside getting some fresh air can be a great way to clear your head.
• Move your body – Physical exercise can help to manage the effects of stress, as it produces endorphins, including serotonin which plays a massive role in boosting your mood. Even a 20 minute walk can have a positive impact on your health.
• Meditation & mindfulness – Mindfulness is a technique where you can learn to be fully present and engaged, so that you can manage your thoughts and feelings. Mindfulness exercises include yoga & breathing exercises.
• Do something you enjoy – This could be reading a book, watching TV, visiting friends, baking & more. It’s important to make time to do the things you really enjoy, so that you give yourself time to relax.
• Talk it out – As the saying goes “a problem shared is a problem halved“. You could talk things through with a friend or family member, or a therapist/other medical professional. There are also services such as the Samaritans, which provides a 24 hour support and anonymous listening services.
• Music – Some people find that listening to their favourite artists or some calm, relaxing songs can help.
• Sleep – Prioritise getting a good night’s sleep by reducing the amount of caffeine you consume. Avoiding screen time before bed can also help you sleep better.