April is Stress Awareness Month, a time in the health and wellbeing calendar when we focus on providing helpful insights and tools to help prevent, reduce and manage stress. This year it would be remiss not to think back to the past 12 months and to how the pandemic has affected our stress levels. But remember too that there are other events in our lives, other situations we experience which may trigger or cause stress.
How have you coped this past year?
So, before you read on, may I invite you to sit back and take a few moments to pause and ask yourself that very question “How have I coped? What have been the biggest stressors for me, for my family and friends, for my work colleagues?” Jot them down.
How you are feeling right now? Be honest with yourself, try not to shrug it off as just a polite question. How are you really feeling? Have you regained your equilibrium or sense of controlling your life, or are you still trying to make sense of it all?
Coping mechanisms for stress
The truth is most of us may well have felt stressed by all that has happened this year. But most of us develop coping mechanisms which help us get through and show us how resilient we can be. We find our inner reserves as well as those in our personal and social networks who provide the support we need.
We can grow through those stressful events stretching ourselves to tackle the challenge. But what happens when our coping mechanisms become overwhelmed or worn down, or our support network simply cannot help? We can reach a tipping point when stress can be hugely destructive to our short-term and long-term wellbeing. Many of you will know the stress curve[1] which is a graph that shows that most of the time we need to be in a state between ‘comfort and stretch’, probably oscillating between the two to be in our zone of optimum performance.
When we move into the ‘strain’ state for a prolonged period and we ignore all the signs and symptoms that our health is suffering – things like fatigue, poor sleep, becoming irritable, headaches, poor judgement and decision making – we become overwhelmed, exhausted and that is when serious health problems occur and may even lead to breakdown and burnout[2] If we fail to read the signs until it is too late, or brush them aside the price we then pay can be so high.
Stress prevention tips
So, what can we do to prevent unnecessary, harmful stress and to read the signs before it is too late? Try these three tips.
- Give yourself ten minutes each evening to reflect on your day and get in touch with your feelings. Face them square on and recognise the early warning signs that things may be moving towards your limits. If things still feel OK then great, give yourself the thumbs up, but if not then take action earlier and do not leave it too late.
- Let your body do the talking. Stress can lead to tense muscles, backache, tension headaches, raised blood pressure, stomach upsets and lack of appetite which left unchecked can cause gastric issues. Listen to your body.
- Build up your resilience in ways that work for you. Find a regular exercise that you enjoy doing and which makes you feel better. Remember that simply taking a ten-minute walk will help you clear your thoughts, stimulate your metabolism and make you feel so much better. Nurture yourself with foods that give you energy and make you feel refreshed. Be firm with yourself to gain enough sleep. Sleep is your superpower.
The good news is that it does not need to be complicated or expensive and the benefit can be instantaneous. Simple changes help you feel back in control and able to cope again.
Calling for help
Finally, when you are finding it particularly tough going remember that you can call for help, whether you ring a friend, talk to a family member, talk to your employer, share how you are feeling with a colleague at work, or talk to a helpline or GP. In the beautifully written and illustrated book by Charlie Mackesey, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, the boy asked the horse “what is the bravest thing you’ve ever said?”
“Help” said the horse.
Life is unpredictable and can often be stressful but with all the health and wellbeing programmes, Apps, books, podcasts and educational materials available to us on so many platforms, there is something suitably helpful for everyone to engage with.
Look after the “Me”. Make a personal resolution to look after yourself, to value your emotional health, and to ask for help when needed.
Celebrate what you have achieved during this long and difficult year and join me in welcoming stress awareness month.
Further resources
Stress Awareness Month has been held every April, since 1992 to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic. A number of free resources are available from the Stress Management Society, find out more about Stress Awareness Month 2021 including their ’30 Day Challenge Regaining Connectivity, Certainty and Control.’
[1] Pressure curve: Yerkes-Dodson Law
[2] Burnout – https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
