Coping with stress

Why a blog about stress today?

It’s National Stress Awareness Day today: 2nd November 2023. Let’s take this opportunity to reflect on our stress levels.

What is stress?

Too much stress or ‘hyper-stress’ causes ‘distress’ which will impact very negatively on wellbeing. Similarly, not enough stress or ‘hypo-stress’ won’t be ideal either as this is caused by boredom or a lack of motivation.    

Finding a balance is therefore useful and this kind of optimum and beneficial level of stress is called ‘Eustress’ (which I think sounds like the name of a Disney Princess :)), and was coined by Canadian physician, Selye, in 1976.

Most of us can cope with short bursts of stress, but research shows that prolonged excessive stress is linked to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression so it is important that you can recognise stress in yourselves (and others) so you can take action (or perhaps encourage support seeking in others).

Here are some common signs of stress to be mindful of:

Physical signs might include the following:-

• Constant tiredness.
• Frequent sickness or absence from work.
• Being run down and frequent minor illnesses.
• General aches and pains (such as back and shoulder tension).
• Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much.
• Weight loss or gain (food cravings).
• Lack of care over their appearance.
• Gastrointestinal disorders.
• Rashes/eczema.
• Headaches

Other signs might include the following:-

• Difficulty remembering things/Poor concentration (Now, where was I? 😊)
• Loss of confidence.
• Finding it difficult to make decisions
• Overreacting to things that others appear to manage.
• Unplanned absences.
• Arguments/conflicts with others- irritability, crying, shouting etc.
• No sense of humour.
• Increased errors and/or accidents.
• Taking on too much work and volunteering for everything.
• Being adamant that you are right.
• Working too many hours-first in, last out/emailing out of hours or while on holiday.
• Over-reliance on substances- alcohol, nicotine etc.
• Strained personal relationships
• Withdrawn manner.

Have a think about whether you might be stressed. Ask people in your life when (and where) you seem most stressed.

What to do about stress?

5 steps to take if you’re feeling stressed:

1. Recognise when your stress levels are higher than you’d like.
2. Try to identify the main stressors and change things if you can.
3. Check in with your body and mind regularly so that you can avoid stress from increasing.
4. Don’t forget to think ‘HALT’ to see if you are hungry, angry, lonely or thirsty. Take care of your basic needs first as this might help.
5. Work out what helps you when you feel stressed. This is very personal and someone may need fresh air and exercise, and another person may need to talk it out…and get the feelings of stress out of their body by sharing, deep breathing, crying, journaling or meditating. All of these things have been found to be useful in lowering stress. Maybe check out my ‘wellbeing activities’ blog to see if there is anything you can incorporate into your life to give you a boost and to maintain more of a life-work balance.

Good luck! Prioritise your wellbeing always. You must put yourself first. Focus on calming the mind and finding ways that work for you.

My next blog coming on 3rd November deals with burnout…and is full of extra info for those that have found it very hard to keep on top of their stress levels…