With the pressures of the ongoing pandemic, combined with everyday challenges, we recognise that it's common for people to feel stress and pressure within their daily lives. Furthermore we recognise that some individuals may become overwhelmed by these emotions, which may lead to mental health problems.
This National Stress Awareness Day, we have created ten top tips to relieve or decrease stress you may be feeling:
- Practice being kind to yourself. Remind yourself that what you're feeling is very human and that there will be other people out there going through the same thing at this exact moment.
- Break down problems into smaller manageable chunks. Remember, there’s only so much time in a day, and we don’t need to be superheroes. It’s important to be realistic with our goals.
- Spending time with people you value and focusing on cultural connections can help you feel more fulfilled.
- Try to find a way to express your stress, rather than carrying it all around with you. This might be through talking to a trusted friend / family member, drawing, making music or jotting it down in a notepad. Get creative, and make more room for joy!
- It helps to go outside at least once a day – to walk or cycle to college if possible, or go outside during your lunch break. Why not try walking slowly without headphones or other distractions and take note of what's around you?
- Take care of your physical health. Sleep, do some exercise, try and eat well and drink enough water.
- Learn to say ‘no’ and not to take on too much – it takes time, confidence and self-awareness. It’s so important to remember that we’re all human and we can’t do everything – and we all need to prioritise self-care sometimes.
- Make some time for yourself. We can all get caught up in the day-to-day grind and forget to take a moment to relax.
- Try meditating, practising mindfulness reduces stress.
- Do seek help if you are feeling continued stress and if it is interrupting your day-to-day activities: talking to your GP, personal mentor, a counsellor, or using helplines such as the Samaritans can really help.