Let’s Talk About Stress!
April is Stress Awareness Month. As such I will be doing a 3 part blog series on the topic of Stress. So to paraphrase the kick ass 80’s Female Duo, Salt ‘N Pepa;
“Let’s talk about stress Baby,
Let’s talk about you and me
Let’s talk about all the good things that may be
Let’s Talk About STRESS!”
The first thing we need to do is ask, what is Stress? Let’s get some facts about this beast! Trick question, there is “no medical definition of stress” according to the Mental Health Charity Mind. Instead they say, we have a notion of what our personal experience of “stress is”. However they do say that it’s a very personal experience and there are signs or triggers that we should try to recognise within ourselves so that we can manage our stress. So let’s look at some examples of what could trigger stress. Take a look at the list below:
Losing your job suddenly
Facing big personal or professional changes
Worry about money
Feeling powerless over the control of an circumstance
Having a sudden change in personal or professional responsibilities
Times of uncertainty
Feeling under pressure
Worrying about the future
Fear of the unknown
COVID-19
Relationship break down
Add your own personal trigger HERE!
So now we know some triggers of stress, let’s take a look at how stress can manifest itself in the body. Oooh, science stuff! Yep! Stress can cause the body to slow down and present physical symptoms in the body such as:
Headaches
Feeling irritable and impatient
Mood Swings
Muscle Tension or Back Pain
Not “being able to switch off”
Insert your own personal feeling of STRESS HERE!
Let me repeat and break it down! Stress is a very personal experience. Your triggers and how it manifests itself within you is deeply personal. Here’s where we have to go a little bit deep and acknowledge that mental health and stress are intimately tied. So what I mean by this is that if you already suffer from Depression, Anxiety Disorders or Panic Disorders this may mean that you are more susceptible to stress. I would always advise that you seek professional medical help if you have one of the aforementioned disorders or if your stress levels are such that the physical manifestations are unmanageable.
Thinking about stress can be uncomfortable. We may not want to acknowledge that we are not “SuperHuman” and that we need help. First off, there is NO Shame in admitting that you need help with stress management. So then how would one go about spotting this within ourselves? Watch this clip of the Sitcom, Seinfeld, and reflect on the behaviour that George exhibits. (Warning: Strong Language and swearing are contained in this clip and some people may not find the language used in this clip appropriate.) (Copyright Larry David and Jerry Sienfeld)
Here are some things to watch out for:
Hitting the wall
Throwing things
Getting angry/mood swings/sudden changes in behaviour
Drinking too much
Let me share with you my personal experience of stress. I personally find that stress manifests itself for me with a withdrawal of my level of activity, level of joy, talking about problems in the middle of the night or in-appropriate times! I feel small and inhibited, and worried that I will not be able to deliver, achieve or let someone down. I am working at managing my own stress better and that is an on-going journey. I mean last night, (8th of April) I was worried just before bed about a course that I will be delivering. I had to stop myself from getting into a panic, by talking about it and rationalising it with my Husband.
So today, I am going to give you 3 tips for managing stress.
1 Find your Stress Antidote (Stress Management Tools)
Stress is deeply personal. So like exercise, the tool that works for you, is very much individual. So look at what tools that you could use from: meditation, yoga, running, music. Find your tool and work with it my friends.
2 Seek Professional Medical Help for unmanageable levels of stress
Simply we all know when we feel unwell. Whether we would like to admit that or not. Don’t ignore when your body presents symptoms that are causing you as a human being not to function well. If in doubt, speak to a health professional about your concerns. Seek out professional medical help from your GP, a therapist or other relevant professional. This is so important!
3 Be Kind to yourself
As I always say, you’ve got to be kind to yourself and acknowledge that you’ve been through a lot. Embed weekly, daily or whatever frequency works for you, of some kind of self care activity.
Resources
Address Stress - Mental Health First Aid England
Mind Mental Health Charity - How to manage stress
Contact the Samaritans - Confidential advice