This coming Wednesday 3rd Nov is National Stress Awareness Day, observed to raise awareness on the effects of stress. Do you feel stressed or overwhelmed? Do you know someone who’s feeling stressed or burnt out?
According to the Mental health Foundation 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. It’s a very common issue and one that can be debilitating. So how can we better cope with it?
Here are some valuable tips you can begin implementing today to better cope with stress:
Maintain a healthy work-life balance
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is imperative in coping with stress & anxiety. Play to your strengths, have set work hours, invest in time-tracking tools and set healthy boundaries to improve your work-life balance.
Be mindful & curious
Try to go to the root problem. What is causing you to be stressed? Once you identify the root cause of the problem, you can then work to tackle it.
Be proactive
Make to-do lists & block out time in your calendar for certain tasks that you need to achieve in order to reduce the feeling of overwhelm in your life.
Go on a walk
Going on walks and exercising have a positive effect on both our physical and mental health. It allows us to take a step back. The release of endorphins from working out also help relieve stress.
Ensure you’re taking care of yourself
This may sound very basic but eating and sleeping well are vital. When we’re stressed, we can often lose appetite or have a irregular sleep schedule. Try to eat regularly and get enough sleep.
Make time for the things you love
Read a book, listen to an audiobook, learn a new skill, journal, write, knit, paint, dance, play your favourite sport, meditate, work on puzzles- the list is endless. Immerse yourself in the activities you love. Not only does it energise you but it’s effective in helping us calm down by making us focus on one thing.
Breathing techniques
Breath is a great tool that we can use to calm ourselves down. Take a deep breath! Inhale for 4 seconds and exhale for 5. Such breathing exercises help us ground ourselves.
Journal
Journaling allows us to process everything we’re going through. If you’re inclined to writing, journaling is a great method to release all your thoughts. Brain dumping is another great technique where you list everything that’s on your mind. It can make you feel more relieved and in control.
Talk to someone you trust
If you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed or feel that your mental health is deteriorating, we strongly recommend that you seek professional help & talk to people you trust. If you’re feeling mildly stressed, talking to a friend can help you feel more supported and help put things into perspective.
Healthy coping skills like the ones listed above can help you deal with stress effectively and most importantly in a healthy manner! What tools are you going to use? Which of these will you inculcate in your daily routine? Do you have any tips that you’d like to add? Feel free to share in the comments!