Stress: If you spot the signs you can manage it
Modern life is full of stress inducing events and activities. If you’re feeling stressed at this time of year, you are not alone. Surveys show that 85% of UK adults regularly experience stress. The Mental Health Foundation’s 2018 survey found that in the past year, 74% of people have felt so stressed that they were “overwhelmed or unable to cope”.
But the good news is there is support and plenty of ways to help manage the impact of stress.
National Stress Awareness Day
It’s recognised that during the darkest months of the year, people become more susceptible to change in moods and reduced energy levels, which can exacerbate the effects of stress, so it’s appropriate that International Stress Awareness week should be in the autumn.
In the UK we marked National Stress Awareness Day on 7th November to draw attention to the large number of people who suffer from stress and the impact it has on people’s lives.
It’s an opportunity for people to think about their wellbeing and to find support to help them cope with their stress.
How does stress affect us?
Stress can change how we feel emotionally, physically, mentally and behaviourally. We all experience symptoms of stress in different ways, but being aware of the signs of stress can alert us when healthy pressure has changed to anxiety and it’s time to take action.
How people around you can spot the symptoms and help
Sometimes it is easier for others to spot the signs of stress. Here are some from the HSE:
● Negative feelings
● Irritability
● Being indecisive
● Feeling alone
● Nervousness
● Inability to concentrate
● Eating more or less than usual
● Smoking, drinking or taking drugs ‘to cope’
● Physical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, difficulty sleeping
What can you do to help manage your stress?
Taking early action helps to make stress manageable, even if it is not altogether unavoidable.
If you think you’re experiencing symptoms of stress, or spot them in someone close, there are many things you can do about it.
Firstly, talking to someone, either a family member, friend or an employer can put the problem in perspective and lead to simple, practical ways to deal with it, such as a break or reduced workload. Other measures include:
● Taking time out to stop and reflect on the causes of your stress
● The NHS offers calming exercises you can practise for yourself, such as meditation and
mindfulness
● More regular exercise or time for hobbies and interests and friends
● Asking for advice from a mental health support group or your GP.
How The Yellow Couch helps you overcome stress with hypnotherapy
We all have what I call our “stress bucket”, which fills throughout the day as a result of the demands and responsibilities of modern life.
Normally, that bucket is emptied when we sleep and make sense of the day’s events. Sometimes, for whatever reason, this doesn’t happen. Your stress bucket then overflows, resulting in worsening anxiety and a feeling of becoming overwhelmed.
Hypnotherapy can help sufferers of anxiety to return to a healthy pattern of sleep that allows your mind to deal with the day’s events and to enjoy deeper, restorative sleep.
The Yellow Couch is a professional, results focused hypnotherapy service for introducing a more positive way of thinking to the subconscious mind. We help clients overcome a range of issues, including anxiety, phobias, professional development, confidence, public speaking and quitting smoking.
Contact The Yellow Couch now to find out how you can start living a less stressed life.