Never has it been more important to recognise how we’re feeling than at the present time. April is stress awareness month.  Awareness days are simply a way of us remembering and focusing on important issues, but of course we can feel stressed at any and many points in our lives.

You owe it to yourself to acknowledge if you are feeling stressed and to take some time to look after yourself.

It’s important to note that being under pressure is a normal part of life. It can help you take action, feel more energised and get results. But if you often become overwhelmed by stress, these feelings could start to be a problem for you. (Source – Mind – The Mental Health Charity)

This interactive tool from MHFA England https://mhfaengland.kokodigital.co.uk/frame_content.php,  using a visual example of a stress container, shows how we all experience stress differently.  In turn the size of your stress container reflects how vulnerable you are to stress. Your genes, life experiences and your environment can all impact on how large or small your stress container is.  If you are more vulnerable to stress, your container will be smaller and more likely to overflow quicker.

The good news is that we can take action to manage our own stress levels by: 

• Identifying our stress triggers
• Accepting that there are some things in life that you can’t control – a global pandemic is a prime example!
• Understanding what are unhelpful methods of managing stress and using helpful coping methods instead, such as:

Visit the stress section under the Emotional Header of the menu bar https://wearesmt.co.uk/emotional/stress/ to find lots more resources to assess your stress levels and tools to help, such as a 30 day calendar for April to help you use helpful coping mechanisms and hints and tips to get you started.