Take steps to reduce your stress levels during Stress Awareness Month

Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992 to raise awareness of the causes and cures for our modern-day stress epidemic. It is the time when we have an opportunity for an open conversation on the impact of stress. Dedicated time to removing the guilt, shame, and stigma around mental health. To talk about stress, and its effects and open up about our mental and emotional state with friends, families, colleagues, and professionals.

What is stress?

The Stress Management Society describes Stress as primarily a physical response. When stressed, the body thinks it is under attack and switches to ‘fight or flight’ mode, releasing a complex mix of hormones and chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine to prepare the body for physical action. This causes a number of reactions, from blood being diverted to muscles to shutting down unnecessary bodily functions such as digestion.

The Global Burnout Study from 2022, has found that employee burnout has increased by over 5 % in the last 12 months. Driven by one simple reason: leaders don’t really understand what the global phenomenon really is.

The main causes of work-related stress: (CIPD 2021)

• The Great Resignation Research by Microsoft shows that over 40% of employees are likely to leave their current job in the next three years, and that the pandemic has made employees re-evaluate their priorities, with work now about much more than just salary.
• DATA SHOWS Stress continues to be one of the main causes of short and long-term absence.
• Workload/volume of work Management style
• New work-related demands or challenges due to homeworking as a result of COVID-19
• Poor work-life balance due to homeworking as a result of COVID-19 Relationships at work
• Non-work factors – family and relationship issues
• Non-work factors – Personal illness or health issues
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There is no health without mental health and stress can lead to numerous health problems. From physical problems, like heart disease, insomnia, digestive issues, immune system challenges, etc to more serious mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Here are some steps from The Stress Management Society that can help you to learn how to stress less:

Look after your social wellbeing

• Connect with people – check in with your support network; are they ok, are you ok? Pick up the phone and find out!
• Ask for help if you need it – it’s OK to not be OK.
• Perform a random act of kindness – it’s nice to be nice

Make time for self-care

• Learn a new breathing technique; box breathing, the 7/11, baby breath – find one that works for you and add it to your toolbox.
• Be kind to yourself, take time out for self-care and exercise – it’s like the oxygen mask on the plane; put yours on first and you’ll be in a better position to help others.

Express gratitude:

• Write a gratitude letter, what are you grateful for? What did you take for granted and really appreciate?
• Write down your strengths; what are some of the things people have said about you that have made you feel good, strong and elated?

Get enough sleep:

• Get your sleep hygiene sorted; have a bath, wind down, mimimise screen time and talk about how you feel.
• Digital detox – could you make your bedroom a tech-free zone? Make sure before bed to do something that doesn’t involve a screen to allow you to disconnect from the ‘always on world’.

Eat healthy:

• Reduce your sugar consumption to avoid energy crashes.
• Stimulants like nicotine and caffeine should be avoided.
• Keep hydrated, drink plenty of water throughout the day and avoid becoming thirsty when you’re stressed.

Prioritise and organise:

• Be strict with your boundaries: work is work and life is life – make sure to schedule time for doing things for yourself.
• Prioritise your most important tasks and projects earlier in the day.
• Delegate things you do not have to do yourself.

The Stress Management Society has also created a Digital Detox checklist to help you switch off from the online world. You can find this here https://www.stress.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Digital-Detox-%C2%A9-International-Wellbeing-Insights-2020.pdf.