Stress is one of the biggest causes of anxiety and low moods. This page covers some common sources of stress and aims to point you in the right direction for trusted help and advice.
Remember - don’t try to take on too much at once, even if you have a big list just pick one or two things to start with.
Relax
Finding ways to help your body and mind relax is one of the best ways to tackle stress. There are lots of online resources available to help you learn short, simple exercises to help ease a worried mind.
- 8 relaxation tips for your mental health (external link) - Mind, the mental health charity, have some great tips and resources for exploring relaxation as a way to improve mental wellbeing
- Relaxation techniques (external link) - the NHS have a library of audio files, in both male and female voices, that guide you through simple relaxation techniques.
InMind Sessions
Our Public Health Team offer free 1-hour InMind sessions to help you learn more about looking after your mental wellbeing and show you how to identify ways to cope when life becomes difficult. The session will cover:
- Reducing the stigma surrounding mental health
- Noticing signs and changes in ourselves, family, friends and colleagues
- Having a different conversation around mental health without feeling like you shouldn’t
- What to do if you see a dip in your own mental health or someone you know
- Where to access support and signpost people to get help.
If you're interested in attending an InMind session, you can contact the Public Heath team to book a free place. Please be aware, sessions may be affected by COVID restrictions.
Mindfulness
"It's easy to stop noticing the world around us. It's also easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living 'in our heads' - caught up in our thoughts without stopping to notice how those thoughts are driving our emotions and behaviour" - Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre.
We’ve seen a lot about mindfulness on social media lately, but what is it really? Mindfulness is when you bring your attention back to living in the moment, taking notice of your thoughts, feelings, body sensations and the world around you right here, right now. It can help you relax, beat stress and even combat depression. It’s easy to push unwelcome thoughts to the back of your mind, but over time these issues add up and can make it difficult for you to cope.
Sitting down comfortably with a pen and a blank piece of paper is a great way of 'downloading' your worries so that you can view them objectively and begin to tackle what is affecting you the most.
Breathing exercise
If you're feeling overwhelmed and your thoughts are spiralling out of control, put your hand on your belly, take two deep breaths in. Make sure it is your belly that rises and not your chest.
- Name five things you can see - with each thing take a breath in and out
- Name four things that you can feel i.e. your watch against your skin, feet on the floor, again with each thing take a breath in and out
- Name three things you can hear. Breathe in and out
- Name two things you can smell. You can pick up items to smell i.e. drink, food
- Breathe in and out
- Name one thing you can taste. If you can’t taste anything, think about your favourite thing to taste. Breathe in and out.
STOPP technique
The STOPP technique is about recentering yourself and unhooking yourself from the thought that’s threatening to overwhelm you.
- STOPP - Wherever you are, think STOP (or say it if the situation allows). Visualise a big STOP sign
- STOPP - Take two deep breaths in and out. Place your hand on your belly to make sure you're 'belly breathing' by making your belly rise and fall with your breath rather than your chest
- STOPP - Observe. Take a minute to check in with yourself and notice what thoughts, feelings and sensations are going on right now. Don’t get caught up with any of these, just notice them and move on to observing the next sensation, thought or feeling
- STOPP - Pull back. Step back from that thought, think about whether there is any other way to view this thought? Ask yourself if you're responding to this thought with logic or is feeling taking over? This is an important thought now, will it still be important in 6 months? What would a kind friend say about this thought?
- STOPP - Proceed. Think about what is important to you going forward. Are you able to do something that has meaning or enjoyment for you even though you’ve got / had this thought? This technique takes practice. Be kind to yourself if it doesn’t work immediately.
5 ways to wellbeing
If you’re feeling stressed, down or anxious there are 5 things you can do to help you feel better:
- Connect with others - this can be virtual instead of in person. Maybe pick up the phone instead of sending another email or message, or put 5 minutes aside to find out how someone really is
- Be active - exercise is essential, but it doesn't need to be intense for you to feel good, gentle stretching, walking and dancing are all great ways to lift your mood
- Take notice - be aware of your surroundings. Stand outside and take the time to appreciate something in nature. Tidy or declutter, or spend some time making your home more enjoyable. Try some mindfulness - see a list of free mindfulness apps that make getting started easy (external link)
- Learn - continued learning makes for a more active life, leading to higher levels of wellbeing. Make time to read a book, research a topic that you’re interested in or learn a new craft or skill
- Give - people who help others are more likely to rate themselves as happy. You could volunteer with a local organisation or just find an opportunity once a week to do something kind without expecting anything in return.
Recognising anxiety symptoms
Over the last few months, everyone has had to adjust quickly to major lifestyle changes brought about by the global pandemic.
This has naturally lead to feelings of anxiety, worry and fear. These are normal responses to certain situations and something we all experience at one time or another. For example, you might worry about a job interview, or about paying a bill on time. Once the threatening situation has stopped, your mind and body will usually return to normal.
However, sometimes feelings of fear and danger can be ongoing and interrupt your daily routine long after the threat has gone. They can make you feel like things are worse than they actually are. You may find that you’re experiencing some anxiety symptoms for the first time as a result of the ongoing change, including stress, financial pressures and social isolation.
We've put together a list of common anxiety symptoms so you can recognise when anxiety is affecting your life.
Mental anxiety symptoms
- Feeling tense or nervous
- Being unable to relax
- Worrying about the past or future
- Feeling tearful
- Not being able to sleep.
Changes in behaviour due to anxiety
- Not being able to enjoy your leisure time
- Difficulty looking after yourself
- Problems concentration at work
- Struggling to form or maintaining relationships
- Worried about trying new things.
Physical anxiety symptoms
- Faster, irregular, or more noticeable heartbeat
- Feeling lightheaded and dizzy
- Headaches
- Chest pains
- Loss of appetite.
Dealing with anxiety
If you think your anxiety is starting to affect your life you can try some of the 5 ways to wellbeing, or you can check out the following self-help resources:
If left unaddressed anxiety can easily lead to long term mental health issues including panic attacks and depression. It’s important that you speak to your GP if you feel alone or overwhelmed with your anxiety and need a helping hand.
Getting to the root of your stress
Sometimes anxiety and stress have very specific root courses, which need to be addressed before you can begin to feel better. The following resources provide help and advice for common issues that affect people at specific times in their lives:
- Financial worries - Most people find themselves struggling financially at some point in their life. Advice is available whether you’re in debt or just need some help cutting your day to day costs
- Working from home (external link) - Although working from home comes with some advantages, for some it can be a struggle without the social contact and structure offered by traditional workplaces
- Keeping your home warm and healthy (external link) - Keeping your home warm during the winter months is important for you both physically and mentally. Practical help and financial advice is available to those who need it
- Drug, alcohol and gambling support - If you're stressed or depressed it's common for people to turn to unhealthy methods of coping with their situation to escape their circumstances. Unfortunately, the opposite is usually true and these methods can actually amplify and complicate worries over time. If an addiction is having a detrimental affect on you life you can access support to help you break the cycle and identify healthy coping mechanisms.
Find support for other common causes of long-term stress and anxiety.