Stress Awareness Month

Stress is a natural reaction in the body, designed to give short bursts of heightened energy or awareness as part of our instinctive “fight or flight” reaction. It’s important to remember this is a difference between stress and burnout.

You may experience stress because of worries about relationships, money, work, unemployment, or ill health. Stress isn’t always a negative thing, in certain circumstances, it can motivate us and power your ability to get stuff done, however, higher levels of stress affect behaviour and how you feel physically and mentally. The most common signs of stress include, sleeping problems, sweating, loss of appetite and difficulty concentrating.

Burnout, on the other hand, happens when you feel emotionally drained, overwhelmed, and unable to meet constant demands. It occurs over a longer period and tends to make us feel unproductive and lacking in energy, leading you to feel disengaged for life goals, jobs, and families.

Inspire Wellbeing has put steps in place to avoid burnout:

Watch for the signs

Lots of people have bad days but that doesn’t mean they’re about to burn out. The warning signals we all need to watch out for are avoiding tasks or work altogether; feeling tired, empty and detached; muscle pain and poor sleep patterns. Your body and mind tell you a lot about what’s going on inside and it’s always good to listen to what they’re saying.

Make time for yourself

There’s never a bad time to look out for your own wellbeing, whether in work or at home. You should always try and make time for you. Also, remember to put down the phone and disconnect from e-mails, text and social media.

Connect with others

Look after yourself with positive, healthy connections to those around you as this creates a sense of self belonging and self-worth. You should always make time to speak with family, friends and loved ones, something as simple as a phone call or text is worth doing.

Prioritise your health

To clear your mind and reduce stress, get out into the open air, go walking, jogging or cycling. You should also examine what you are eating and try to stay away form sugary snacks and processed food, which ultimately leave you feeling tired. Alcohol, too, might seem like a good idea when you’re stressed but, in the longer term, too much drink can make you feel worse that you did before.

Why not take the “Stress Test” to see if you are stressed, it will only take a few minutes - click here

NICHS recently held a session on identifying signs and symptoms of stress and managing them, click here to view. The NHS have also provided support and guidance which can be found here.

Why not take ½ hour at your leisure and avail of the NICHS Relaxation for Stress audio session: click here.

SERC’s support services are available and include Inspire Wellbeing, Mental Health First Aiders, Health Assured counselling service, and UK Healthcare – My Healthy Advantage App, which can be accessed on the Mind Yourself App under the Healthy Minds section.