The Covid-19 pandemic has affected us all in one way or another. Feelings of anxiety, isolation, depression and loss have all been prevalent over the last 12 months.
The number of situations that wouldn’t normally cause you to feel stressed may have escalated during the lockdown and some signs that you are stressed may have gone unnoticed. You may be aware that you’ve not been yourself lately, but you’ve put this down to a lack of motivation and wanting life to get back to normal.
With April being Stress Awareness month it’s an ideal time to take stock and take a closer look at how you’re really feeling.
When you’re able to recognise how feeling stress affects your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, you’ll be able to take actions to prevent it from escalating into chronic stress or more serious health conditions.
One big reaction that not many people attribute to feeling stressed, is giving out a sigh before responding to a question or taking action!
What does stress look like?
There are many signs of stress and we all display stress in different ways. Here are some things that you may or may not recognise as possibly being stress-related: –
- Headaches and migraines
- Frequently feeling fatigued
- Feeling anxiety
- Worrying or over-thinking situations
- Pain or tightness in the back or chest
- Snapping at family or friends
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Feeling de-motivated
- Depressive feelings and thoughts
- Poor sleep
- High blood pressure
- Eating less or more than usual
- Eating more junk food
- Drinking more alcohol than usual
- Smoking more or taking drugs.
You can find more about the physical and behavioural signs of stress here.
How you can manage and reduce your stress
When you can recognise that you are not responding to situations as you would normally do, and you can put this down to being stressed, here are a few things you can do.
1. Exercise – Move your body by going for a walk, running, going to the gym, doing some yoga or step aerobics, cycling, dancing etc. Anything to get your body moving and your blood pumping. Exercise increases your body’s production of endorphins (sometimes called the happy hormone) as they help to boost your mood and reduce feelings of stress.
2. Chill – Be kind to yourself and do something that allows you to switch off mentally and emotionally and put your focus on something less stressful. It’s not about burying your head in the sand; it’s about giving yourself a break. Find something you enjoy doing that’s creative and relaxing. It could be gardening, cooking, reading, knitting, crafting etc. You’ll know what you like to do that helps you to feel chilled and relaxed.
3. Journal – Journaling is a great tool to help you to get clarity on how you are feeling and what has contributed to those feelings. By brain-dumping your thoughts you will be able to explore them and start the process of making sense of and releasing them. You can also put systems in place to help you move forward constructively. One journaling method that is great for reducing the build-up of stress is to write a gratitude diary. Writing one or two sentences every day (or most days) will help you recognise all the good things in your life and help you feel uplifted and positive.
4. Create routines – Having a daily routine gives your day structure and purpose. Over the last 12 months, many of us have had weeks of feeling like it’s ‘Ground Hog Day’. After a few weeks of not having anything planned and nothing to look forward to, many people feel lethargic and worthless. Having some routine gives you purpose and helps with motivation. Start with a morning routine. Have a regular time to get up, have breakfast and have specific things that you will do every morning. Have something specific to do mid-morning and have your lunch at a set time. Having routines helps to take the drudgery out of the days.
5. Ask for help – Share how you are feeling with a loved one or a good friend. At some point we’ve all felt stressed and needed someone to talk to. There is no shame in asking for help. If you can’t talk to a friend or family member, seek professional help.
If you would like some help managing your stress levels, why not use the link below to book in for a free, no-obligation Discovery Call
Here we will have a chat to find out if working with me is for you.
About Sharon
Sharon lives with her partner, Geoff, in Warwickshire and they have two adult children. She worked for over 25 years in an office environment, gaining qualifications to degree level in finance, business, and management. While there Sharon witnessed and experienced many stressful situations and suffered stress-related illnesses.
Sharon was advised to make some changes to her lifestyle which included trying complementary therapies. After experiencing the benefits of complementary treatments, Sharon decided to retrain and share her knowledge and experiences to help others recognise and manage their own physical and emotional stress and anxiety levels.
She has been working as a complementary therapist for over 15 years now and loves helping people manage and reduce their stress levels to feel uplifted, focused, positive and empowered about their lives.
