National Stress Awareness Day!
National Stress Awareness Day is soon approaching (2nd November) so, I wanted to get you thinking about what effective de-stress strategies and techniques you can implement in your life 👏✨
👉 There are of course healthy lifestyle changes you can incorporate as part of your daily routine that can help you to manage and reduce your stress levels. Some of these include... ✅ Having a good sleep schedule. This means you go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time. But allow yourself extra rest when your body needs it to recover. Avoiding screen time before bed. Trying to sleep for a suitable quantity of time for you, this is usually a minimum of seven hours depending on unique factors. ✅ Exercise. Incorporating a little bit of exercise into your day can help keep those pesky stress levels at bay. ✅ Eating healthy. Nourishing your body is so important, having a poor diet can adversely affect your mental health. ✅ Self-care. This isn’t just having a warm bath (although that is also great), this is working to prioritise yourself in all areas of your life. This can look like living a life that aligns with your values, working towards your goals, learning to say no and setting healthy boundaries, and working on resolving past trauma.
👆 But, I understand it can be increasingly difficult for you to make these kinds of changes to your lifestyle. For some of you, these lifestyle changes could mean living a completely different life from the one you do now. I understand how challenging that can be. I also acknowledge that for some people, it is just not feasible to be able to make these changes. For example, it is no use me suggesting you get a full night's sleep if you are a new parent with a baby needing their bottle at 2 am in the morning.
Because of this, I wanted to go beyond the generic advice you find on the internet and talk to you about actually managing stress in the moment. Now, there are lots of different techniques and strategies you can use to help regulate your feelings of stress. But, you are a unique individual and what works for one person may not work for you. Do not become disheartened by this and lose hope. You need to remember that this is all part of your positive mental well-being journey. Of course, some suggestions won't work for you, but that is completely normal. You trying the suggestion in the first place is what counts. That is you taking one step closer to achieving better mental health. Show yourself appreciation that you tried the suggestion regardless of what the results are. You trying is you showing yourself love and compassion and for that, you should be so proud of yourself!!!🥳
✍️ Below I have included some techniques that you can try to do when you feel you are becoming overwhelmed with stress.
✍️ Acknowledge and Address ❇️ Acknowledge that you are stressed. ❇️ Acknowledge how you are feeling inside. ❇️ Acknowledge what is causing you stress. ❇️ Address it … Can you do anything about it? If not, then acknowledge that there is nothing you can do to change whatever is causing you stress. It is out of your hands. If there is something you can do about it then acknowledge that there is something you can do to change the stressful situation and then think about what action from you is required.
✍️ Affirmations Try and self-soothe yourself by saying out loud (preferably) or to yourself the following statements: ❇️ This is my present feeling, I won’t always feel like this, this will pass. ❇️ I am safe and I can relax ❇️ I deserve to feel calm ❇️ It is normal to feel stressed ❇️ I am allowed to feel like this ❇️ I am going to be ok ❇️ I have survived everything I have ever been stressed about ❇️ This feeling is my reminder to take a moment Some of these may work better for you than others, so give yourself the time to learn what works for you
✍️ Take a moment ❇️ When you identify you're overwhelmed by stress if it is possible then give yourself a moment. This might mean something like you have to tell your friends you’ll return in five minutes or turning your phone off. But quite literally just give yourself a moment. Let yourself have a moment to feel your stress. When you take yourself away from the stress-inducing environment, it lets you have a moment to think about it and possibly gain a different perspective.
✍️ Refocus ❇️ Set a timer for a few minutes on your phone and in that time intensely focus on an item of your choosing. ❇️ Notice everything about it, all the small details. How it feels, smells, looks, etc.,
✍️ I also have a thought-provoking question for you to think about over the next week. When you were a child, what did you do to soothe yourself when you were experiencing negative emotions? Depending on your response, as long as it isn’t a negative or harmful behaviour, it could be a good idea to start thinking about how you could use your childhood soothing technique as an adult. 🔶 Maybe you looked to a parent to help you manage the emotion? If so, you could be particularly suited to talking to a trusted person about your stress as an adult. On a side note, this is helpful for most people! 🔶 Did you cuddle a favourite teddy? If so, buy yourself a bear. Make this your stress bear. It might sound silly to do this as an adult but don’t let that put you off! Let your adult self cuddle your bear and tell the bear about your daily stressors. 🔶 Did you shut yourself in your bedroom? If so, maybe alone time is super important for you. So give your adult self, time to recharge and reduce your stress!
👉 We have previously posted the article “Managing Stress” which provides information detailing what stress is, the causes of stress, why managing stress is important, how to improve your ability to manage stress, and two at-home managing stress exercises if you would like more information🤗.
Remember, learning what works for you as an individual is what is most important 🙌. This is what strengthens your relationship with yourself. Be proud of yourself for reading this article that alone is a massive achievement. It is you trying and that should be celebrated 🎉🥳🏆!!
🤗 If you think you require additional support for managing your stress, then take a look at Happio’s “Manage Stress and Anxiety” online course 🤗.