Personal Development theme of the month:

Stress
awareness

Stress is the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. It’s very common, can be motivating to help us achieve things in our daily life, and can help us meet the demands of home, work and family life.

Stress awareness has become a topic of increasing concern in the modern workplace, with Health and Safety asking us to look beyond physical risks and hazards to recognise the need for management of employee well-being. According to the NHS: “Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure“.

What are the signs of stress? You may feel...

Anxious
Afraid
Angry or aggressive
Sad
Irritable
Frustrates
Depressed – These feelings can sometimes produce symptoms, making you feel even worse

April is National Stress Awareness Month. Stress Awareness Month is held each April, to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures of stress. According to the Mental health Foundation 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.

Stress isn’t a mental health condition, but it can cause a mental health problem, like anxiety or depression or it can cause an existing one to get worse. Stress can also affect you physically, it can cause headaches, insomnia, tiredness, or stomach problems.

Individually we need to understand what is causing our personal stress and learn what steps we can take to reduce it for ourselves and those around us. National Stress Awareness month is a great opportunity to take a moment to do this and think about our own wellbeing.

Please remember that the NWCS website contains a raft of information in relation to Mental Health & Wellbeing which can be found here

Also we have a number of Mental Health trained First Aiders to which the contact details can be found here

What you can do to help manage worries and stress

There are various steps you can take to cope with being under pressure, remember, different things work for different people.

Write down your worries and concerns – this may help process your thoughts and emotions. You can then read the worries back and try to think of them from a different perspective.

Keep a daily routine – our overall wellbeing relies on our daily routines; these also help with sleeping & eating patterns. This is why it’s important to ensure you and your family have structure in your day. The routine can be simple everyday things like, getting up, going to bed, and eating at the same times each day, listening to music, going for a daily walk.

Identify your triggers and take control – working out what triggers your stress can help you anticipate when you may feel stressed and what you could do about it in advance.

Keep active – exercise can help clear your head and then let you deal with your problems more calmly. Go outside to exercise, as fresh air and spending time in nature can really help.

Stay healthy – as well as exercise it’s important to maintain a healthy diet and ensure you are getting enough sleep.

To read a sleep guide click here

To read a Nutrition guide click here

Talk to other people – friends, family & colleagues can help support you through the stress you are feeling, you may even have a laugh and start to relax. You may also want to consider talking to a professional counsellor.

Do something you enjoy – spending time doing something you enjoy will take your mind off how you are feeling. Everyone needs to take time for themselves, it can be as simple as having a bath or reading a book.

Avoid unhealthy ways to cope – many people use alcohol, smoking, chocolate, and gambling to try and relieve the stress they are feeling. None of these things will help in the long term, use healthy coping strategies like running, listening to music, or walking the dog.

Challenge yourself – learning new skills and setting yourself new goals will help build your confidence and make you feel good about yourself.

Accept the things you can’t change – it’s not easy but accepting that there are some things happening to you that you can’t do anything about will help you focus your time and energy elsewhere.

Helping Shape Your Future