STRESS AWARENESS MONTH

Stress is something everyone feels at times, and there are all kinds of stressful situations that can be a part of daily life. Low-level stress can even be helpful or motivational. There are plenty of things you can do to help cope with stressful events, and simple steps you can take to deal with feelings of stress or burnout.

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.

But too much stress can affect our mood, our body and our relationships – especially when it feels out of our control. It can make us feel anxious and irritable, and affect our self-esteem.

Experiencing a lot of stress over a long period of time can also lead to a feeling of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, often called burnout.

The tips on our website www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues should help, but if you have been experiencing stress for some time and it’s affecting your daily life or causing you distress, you should consider seeking further support.

The NHS DON’T recommends the following:

• Do not try to do everything at once – set small targets you can easily achieve

• Do not focus on the things you cannot change – focus your time and energy into helping yourself feel better

• Try not to tell yourself that you’re alone – most people feel stressed at some point in their life and support is available

• Try not to use alcohol, cigarettes, gambling or drugs to relieve stress – these can all contribute to poor mental health

With a lot of support out there they recommend the following:

1. Seek NHS support

Call NHS 111 or talk to your GP. In England, you can also refer yourself for psychological therapy through the NHS IAPT service without seeing your GP.

2. Charities, helplines and communities

• Get support from Time to Change www.time-to-change.org.uk

• Visit Samaritans’ website www.samaritans.org

• Check Mental Health Foundation: stress www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/stress

• Join the Stress Management Society www.stress.org.uk

3. Try a Reading Well book

Reading Well for mental health provides helpful information and support, with books on mindfulness and other subjects available free from your local library. See Reading Well Books by visiting www.reading-well.org.uk/books/books-on-prescription/mental-health

Helping someone else

Get tips and advice on helping others struggling with their mental health www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/supporting-others/ helping-others/

Urgent Support

If you cannot wait to see a doctor and feel unable to cope or keep yourself safe, it’s important to get support. Get urgent support by visiting www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/urgent-support/

Further information and support

The mental health charity Mind offers more information on: dealing with pressure developing emotional resilience to help you adapt and bounce back during difficult times

Your Mind Plan on the Every Mind Matters website www.mind.org.uk sends personalised tips and advice to your email inbox. For further information about stress visit www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters an