Stress Awareness Day – Signs of stress and how to combat it

We can all feel overwhelmed with life at times, particularly as we are living in an age of ever-escalating prices, worldwide political instability and intermittent fuel and energy uncertainties heading into the winter months.

As today is Stress Awareness Day, we wish to focus not on the problems, but in tackling the stress these things so often cause. One day can be vastly different to the one either before or after it, and your ability to cope may also vary on any given day.

Common symptoms of stress

Symptoms of stress can vary wildly between individuals, and some people can handle it (seemingly) to a much higher degree than others.

Remember, though, that everyone is handling a unique set of life circumstances, so what you imagine to be easy for someone else to tackle compared to yourself may not be how the other person is feeling at all. Some common symptoms of stress are:

• Anxiety – A general feeling of being on edge. Sometimes this feeling can seem to persist or appear for no reason or
• Sleeping problems – Having problems shutting your brain off can make it very difficult to sleep. In others, it may make them sleep far too much but never feel rested from it.
• Poor concentration – Background worries affecting your ability to focus on what you are doing in the moment, making it difficult to perform tasks with a clear mind or requiring extra time to spend double checking what you’ve done.

More extreme symptoms of stress

• Reckless behaviour – Questionable decisions, overspending, or a general change in how you would normally deal with something rationally without thoughts of potential consequences.
• Overdependence – This could be an excessive level of dependence on another person, or feeling the need to turn to alcohol or other substances as a coping mechanism.
• Depression – Excessive low mood, loss of happiness and a prolonged feeling of hopelessness, loss of interest, energy and joy in the world.

Five steps to wellbeing

• Stay connected – Don’t shut yourself away. Be around other people and their lives, and stay grounded in the fact that everyone has issues to deal with, no matter how small they may seem. As they say, “It’s good to talk”.
• Give – Share your problems with others and you may find that you help both yourself and someone else who could also be experiencing some kind of stress.
• Exercise and activity – Have hobbies that keep you busy, keep physically active whether that be outside or doing chores in the house, and generally engage in things that are either productive, enjoyable or both.
• Expand your knowledge – Know what your stress triggers are and try to find ways to counteract issues that may lead to stress, or find good ways to cope with those triggers. There are hundreds of resources to use online, so keep searching until you find something that works for you.
• Be ‘in the moment’ – Mindfulness. Yesterday is over and tomorrow doesn’t exist yet. Stop and centre yourself, concentrate on your breathing and really think about what it is you are doing at any given time, no matter how mundane it may seem. Try to avoid things that cause you anxiety, such as constantly checking news sources and social media, or whatever has a negative effect on your mood.

These are but some examples of causes of stress and potential ways to counter them. The more you explore how you are feeling and how others feel, the better you will know how to cope if and when something arises.

Always remember that there is someone to talk to, and your GP and the Samaritans are always options if things seem bad. You can call the Samaritans at any time of the day or night on 116 123.

Further reading

Top 10 causes of stress at work – Oakwood Solicitors

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