What is Stress Awareness Week?
International Stress Awareness Week 2023 is an annual event which raises awareness about stress, its impact on mental and physical health, and the importance of stress management. The aim of the week is to educate and encourage individuals and organizations about stress-related issues and provide resources and strategies for coping with stress in healthy ways.
5 tips to Manage Stress, by Amy Williams, RSBC Family Practitioner
Stress is a common and very normal experience. It is the body’s way of dealing with perceived threat or pressure. It can impact young people and families in different ways, and at different times. This Stress Awareness Week, RSBC Families First Service have put together some simple tips that you can build into your routine to help you manage stress effectively:
1. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle.
Eat well, get regular exercise, make time to go outside, and ensure you get enough sleep to support your physical and mental well-being. It doesn’t always seem very exciting, but a solid foundation of rest, exercise and nourishing food can help to keep you feeling well. Getting your body moving in different ways releases endorphins and can improve your mood almost instantaneously.
2. Practice Mindfulness.
Engage in mindfulness techniques like deep breathing (box breathing NHS in Mind), meditation, or yoga to stay present and reduce anxiety. It can be helpful to get really used to these tools before you’re feeling stressed, as they’ll be much easier to tap into when you need them! There is a wide array of resources, apps and useful tips online, such as gentle at-home yoga or journalling.
3. Hobbies and Relaxation.
Make time for activities you enjoy, whether it’s reading, art, mindful music listening, arts and crafts, or any other hobby, to alleviate stress in the moment and help you relax. Hobbies and activities can also be a great place to meet others in a similar situation and share what works for them.
4. Time Management.
Life can be overwhelming, especially when you have school-work and deadlines to meet, making life feel like it is spiralling out of control. Prioritise tasks, set achievable goals, and create a schedule to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed. Learn when to say no, prioritise your needs and don’t take on too much at one time. It will help reduce stress and increase your fulfilment.
5. Seek Support.
It is always best to seek help from others so talk to friends, family, or a trained professional about your stress. Sharing your thoughts and feelings can make you more aware of them and help ease some of your stress. Trusted people around you may be able to assist you with help, advice and reassurance. Being honest how you feel and sharing it with your support network can make a big difference.