Do we need more awareness about Stress?

Each year there is a month set aside in the calendar to heighten awareness about Stress and this is the 28th annual awareness month Now I have no idea who decides on these awareness months but it seems to me to be around a long time 28 years apparently.

But the aim of any awareness is to highlight the causes of stress and how stress can have a negative effect on our mind and body and also give some tips on how to Relieve Stress.

I often wish there was another word for stress because it has become such an overused word that we become bored with it.

It seems to me that so much is written about stress that One: we should all know how to recognise when we are stressed and two: understand that we need a certain amount of stress in our lives in order to operate.

A third thing is that we know that our bodies naturally respond to fight or flight by increasing our levels of cortisol so that we can be ready to defend ourselves.

So, I was to say that it is a completely natural physical and mental response to sudden traumatic events or constantly firefighting in our lives you would totally understand, right?

Most people experience stress in their lives and understand those traumatic events even though they are traumatic -  end, and we somehow return to our lives maybe in a different way but we do pick up the pieces and move on.

However, how do we deal with those long-term constant ongoing stressors, a demanding job or a job you hate, maybe a family illness, family feud, financial insecurity when you need to keep on, keeping on.

We know from personal experience that it is impossible to prevent stress from happening in our lives and as we said it’s a natural physical and mental reaction to life but how do we know when stress has become a problem. How do we know when stress has begun to take a toll on our physical and mental wellness? 

Learning how to recognise when you are doing well and when you need to take some action about your stress levels is a life skill that we need to learn so that we can be more effective in our personal and professional life.

So, what are the skills we need to learn about stress? First off understand the rules of stress

1.     It is not possible to prevent stress from occurring it is part and parcel of life and even more so in modern living.

2.     Short-term stress will come and go and life will return to a new norm, you will come through it.

3.     It is Ok not to feel Ok 100% of the time.

4.     Big traumatic events in your life can have a big impact on your emotional and physical life.

5.     Know the difference between everyday life stressors and traumatic events.

6.     Long-term stress is the time to put some kind of safety net in so that you can carry on and remain healthy.

Let us look at some ways you can help yourself and identify your stressors

Get to know and how you personally respond when you are under stress

Ask yourself some questions?

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Too much going on. Do you feel bad about yourself (you might recognise this by the feeling in the back of your throat when “Your heart is in your mouth”

Are you feeling any heart palpitations, sweating more than usual?

Mind racing at night going over negative speculative thoughts?

No concentration or focus.

Forgetting things like your car keys? One client told me that she arrived at work only to find that she was still wearing her slippers.

If you make the habit of checking in with how you feel mentally and physically you will know when you feel differently or when there is a change in your behaviour watch those subtle changes in how you feel.

If you make the skill of knowing yourself a habit then it will become an automatic self-help skill and you will notice the early onset of when stress before it becomes a problem and you can do something about it before it gets too late.

So remember, Recognising the symptoms that you personally feel physically mentally and emotionally puts you back in control.

Keep a note of how you respond, it’s not always stress related.

For some keeping, a diary or a journal can help to monitor moods and how you operate on a daily basis There are even apps that will help you keep track of your moods. Daylio is one I use.

Knowing when you are just plain tired or feeling low or in need of a break and being able to weigh this up against all-out stress is a life skill you can add to Your Own Self Help Book.

Talk it out. Find a Confidant

Remember if you are not coping, you can ask for help. Let your family and friends know that you are not coping.

If you have a friend that can support you and you can offer peer to peer support to each other this is a great way to self-help but this isn’t always possible there will be times when you need to speak to someone outside of your immediate circle and this is the time when you need a Confidant.

Find a confidant you can trust. Someone who can help you to think things through who will not tell you what you should do but rather help you find your own solutions.

Finally: We will all experience stress in our lifetime. Long-term stress is when stress can have the most damaging effects on our mind and body. If you really feel that you can’t get yourself back on track on your own, ask for help. IT’S OK, NOT TO BE OK.

Mary Fletcher Burke. Dip Acu, Dip Hyp. Mindcoach

To see how your stress levels are at the moment why not take our short quiz HERE