How I Deal With Stress – Mia Cecchini

In our latest Mental Health Awareness Month article, Mia Cecchini from our Employment team shares her own strategy for coping with stress.

When I feel stressed because I have a lot of tasks to complete whether that be at work or at home or often times both, the concept of ‘Eat that Frog’ (a book by Brian Tracy) really works for me. I get up as early as I can and I write a list of everything I have to get done. I then pick out my top three tasks that absolutely have to get done that day and I work through them one by one.

This method works for me because I know that once those three tasks are done that if the rest of the day doesn’t go as planned it doesn’t matter so much because my main tasks are now out of the way.

Whilst I always aim to be productive, I also think it is important to give ourselves grace when we don’t manage to achieve absolutely everything we want to or we are simply having an off day as it does happen to all of us. I find that people tend to be a lot kinder than you think if you need to ask for more time to complete a task, to fulfil an obligation, reschedule an appointment or to simply ask for help.

One of my stress busters is cleaning. I think a lot of it has to do with the concept of a tidy space makes for a tidy mind and this definitely applies to me. I find that if my space is cluttered often my mind will feel cluttered.

I know that we don’t always have time or the want to clean for hours at a time and my top tip is to challenge yourself by setting a timer for fifteen minutes and seeing how much you can do within that time. I am always amazed at what can be achieved in a short fifteen minutes and how much better I feel when my space is clean.

Always remember

If you are struggling with your own emotions, talk to the people who care about you the most. Family and friends might not be aware unless you tell them, and it can be a huge relief to simply speak to someone about it. Most people will understand, and they may be able to help when they know that you’re going through a difficult time.

Your GP is always an option if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your thoughts with someone you know – they can offer talking therapies or another local service that can help. If things are bad and you need someone to talk to urgently, The Samaritans can be contacted at any time, in confidence, by calling 116 123.