HEALTH & WELLBEING
MANAGING STRESS By Amanda Whitlock, Total Wellbeing Matters Everyone experiences stress at some times in their lives. Due to the pandemic our levels of stress are higher than ever before. But what is stress? Put simply, stress is our body’s reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. Stress is normal and can actually be a motivating factor in helping us achieve things in our daily life. Stress becomes an issue when we feel overwhelmed, become anxious and feel unable to cope. When this happens, we can become unwell – both physically and mentally. When I realise that I am getting stressed, there are various things I do that help me regain control. 1. I practice gratitude – every night before I go to sleep, I write down three things that have gone well that day or have given me joy. These can range from a walk with my dog, a hug from my husband or a positive comment from a client. Some days it is easy to find three things. Other days it is much more difficult. These are the days when I can only see the difficult things that have happened – the friend that let me down, the work project that didn’t go as I had planned. On those days I have to dig deep to remember the smile at the shop, the flowers in the garden and the friends that I know are there for me every day. 2. I consciously remove those things from my day that I know make me stressed. For example, I always try to leave the house earlier than I need to as I don’t like being late. I also add things to my day that give me joy and make me feel relaxed – walking my dog is one of my greatest
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pleasures – his joy in the walk makes me feel joyful too. 3. I think about the language I use to myself and others. I believe that we all need to be kinder to ourselves and to those around us. Being kind does not mean that we always agree – it means treating everyone with respect and being non-judgemental. Being kind is a willingness to be compassionate. I try to talk to myself as I do to my best friend. 4. I try and eat well, limit my caffeine intake, and I rarely drink alcohol. Some people, especially during lockdown, use alcohol to relax. This can work in the short term but in truth that gin you have in the evening is a toxin and you are just adding more stress to your body. I also try and get some form of exercise each day. 5. Talking to my support network is a great stress reliever enabling me to come to solutions and resolve issues before they become insurmountable. Managing stress is unique to each and everyone of us. The trick to learning to manage our stress is to understand what our stressors are and our reactions to them. We owe it to ourselves and to others to put in place active steps to reduce the effects of stress. This will be trial and error – what works for me may well cause you to recoil in horror! Just find things that help you relax, that make you feel strong and in control. Selfcare is not selfish or self-indulgent – it is essential. It is also important to remember that if you are constantly feeling overwhelmed, it could be beneficial to talk to a medical professional who can help.
