Stress Awareness Month 2023 - #ACTNOW
(Blog written by Dr Mark Winwood, Principal Psychologist, Psychological Support Service)
Stress is a very normal experience. In celebration of Stress Awareness Month we want to encourage an open conversation on the impact of stress. Being open about this experience is an important first step to stress busting, as it helps us to remove and guilt or shame around feeling overwhelmed with pressure.
This year’s theme is: Action Changes Things (#ACTNOW). So as a team of psychologists we asked ourselves – what actions do we find have an impact on helping our colleagues manage stress?
Our Consultant and Service Lead Dr Carla Croft explains "The first thing I do with my clients who are feeling stressed is I support them to prioritise the tasks they have each day. Making a to do list that is unrealistically long each morning is demotivating because it gives us a heavy mental load and a constant sense of failure." She describes creating a daily triangle with ‘Musts’ at the top ‘Possibles’ in the middle and ‘Would love to’ at the bottom. This not only helps the process of prioritising but also simply raises awareness of how much feelings of stress are connected to unrealistic expectations.
Dr Maria Vidal, Principal Psychologists suggests looking into our ‘coping history; and ‘Uncovering resources and strengths – how have you managed adversity / stress in your life previously? Are you able to call on any of these tools during this time?’ She also suggests introducing the concept that change is possible by suggesting ‘How you would prefer to respond to this difficult event? What would you notice if you were not so stressed? What steps can you put into place (individually or within a network) to help make these changes?
Dr Bunsi Shah, Principal Psychologists, describes how our central nervous system becomes alerted to threat and danger in times of stress and lead to feelings of sensory overload.
She describes ‘a few simple changes can significantly help to reduce feelings of distress and promote a sense of calm and safety.’ Such as:
- Hearing: the use of noise cancelling/reducing headphones and soothing music
- Sight: sunglasses for sensitivity to light, softer lighting and device free time
- Smell: a preferred scent or essential oil on a handkerchief/scarf/wrist
- Touch: using a throw or blanket with your favourite texture.
- Taste: a soothing and aromatic tea, a glass of cool water
Dr Anna MacLehose, Principal Psychologist, describes a very accessible method of managing our stress levels: ‘It sounds basic, but sometimes when stress overwhelms us, simply stopping and noticing what’s going on in our minds and bodies is half the battle. I call this the STOP practice.’
Stop… pause with intent, be still for a moment.
Take a Breath...make your exhale longer than your inhale.
Observe: Observe the body, thoughts, feelings, emotions, physical sensations. Raise your awareness of the stress levels and what is most present. Is there anything that can be gently put down for the moment?
Proceed: Reconnect now with more awareness about what is going on with you and most important to you. Be realistic and kind to yourself about how much can be done in a day.
My colleague Dr Jillian Jagessar, Principal Psychologist, and I, have a similar sense that some actions that address our more general wellbeing needs also have a positive impact on our stress levels. Focusing on Sleep quality has demonstratable impact on improving mood and coping. Regular exercise/movement according to the WHO improves our feeling of wellbeing and also reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety which can be exacerbated by stress. Also sharing your experience with others by talking helps address the feelings of being alone with your concerns.
Stress Awareness Month is an opportunity to talk about how you experience and explore how you deal with stress - a conversation with a colleague, friend, family member or professional can be the first step in proactively exploring ways to #ACTNOW.
Further information available for you:
- https://www.stress.org.uk/national-stress-awareness-month/
- https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/stress/
- https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/tips-to-reduce-stress/
- https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/stress/signs-and-symptoms-of-stress/