April is Stress Awareness Month and this year’s theme is ‘Regaining connectivity, certainty and control’.
21 April 2021
Fast Forward volunteer Rayana Mohammed, has written about her experience of stress, and the things she has learned to put in place to help cope when this begins to have an impact on her wellbeing.
“I’m sure we can all agree that this last year has been very stressful, in more ways than one for some, with most of us either thinking this or even saying it out loud.
74% of adults in the UK have felt stressed, overwhelmed or unable to cope over the last year – a number that sounds about right to me.
Many of us may have already been feeling stressed before the pandemic began but this additional uncertainty has most likely intensified this for us. I have personally experienced stress before as well as during the pandemic and I feel as though I have a good understanding of what it is. However, some may be wondering what stress is? What does it look like? And how do we overcome and deal with it?
So, what is stress? It’s the body’s response to overwhelming pressure or threats, which make it feel as though it is unable to cope. This pressure triggers the body to enter a state of fight or flight, which leads to the release of hormones to aid either of these states, as well as the stimulation of the immune system.
Not all stress is bad though. Some stress is important for getting us through difficult times, for example the upcoming exams for many students, the important work presentations some may have or even getting through an interview of some sort. However, when a level of stress is reached or surpassed, this is when the negative effects come into play. These include irritability, sadness, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, aches and pains, and many other mental, physical, and behavioural effects.
Stress can show up in many ways. It has been found to reduce a person’s ability to regulate their emotions, sometimes leading to uncontrollable reactions and feelings, which may often show up in their relationship with themselves and others.
It has also been found to increase disease and damage to the body in the form of cancers, lung and heart disease, a weakened immune system, dental damage and many more.
Stress can also cause changes to a person’s body in the forms of weight loss or weight gain. Personally, when I am stressed, I tend to lose my hunger cues and often forget to eat leading to unwanted weight loss. However, the more natural response to stress is the release of cortisol in the body which can increase insulin levels, that leads to a reduction in blood sugar levels, causing an increase in cravings. This response is linked to the fight or flight state the body enters when dealing with stress as the increased insulin allows the body to convert whatever sugars it has into energy to carry out this response.
So how do we deal with it? As someone who has experienced her fair share of stressful events, I have worked out a few strategies that work for me when I need to deal with unwanted stress. I must say that it was reassuring to me to know that the strategies I have devised for myself are often what is recommended for people to do.
Many of the recommended mechanisms fall into four categories;
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talking about it,
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sharing coping mechanisms (like I’m doing now)
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being nice, and;
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looking after yourself
The first step to overcoming any issue is identifying it and accepting that it is something that need to be worked on. It is vital not to judge yourself at any point about the stresses you are experiencing, and your thoughts and feeling surrounding these stresses.
When we start to experience any of the signs of stress – headaches, nausea, tension, fatigue – we should ideally stop and evaluate what may be causing these symptoms and figure out what things we can and cannot control.
It is also important to note that we cannot change everything that might be overwhelming us, but we can control parts of the issue or even just how we tackle it.
For me, this looks like journaling to identify my thoughts and concerns followed by planning, talking out my concerns or even educating myself around my issue. This works for me as I am able to release whatever is on my mind; taking control of it and also familiarising myself with it to have more power over it.
Once I have done all this and I still feel overwhelmed, I start taking time for myself and prioritising myself. This may look like;
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saying no to more things than I usually would (I can’t lie, as a big people pleaser, I am still working on this)
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going to the supportive people around me for help, or
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simply taking more time for myself, usually in the form of exercise, selfcare and better sleep
In this time, I like to be more mindful and present, as I find this quiets the thoughts of worry that usually occupy my mind.
If I’m running, I like to focus on my breathing and really try to feel the actions that are usually automated and passive.
If I’m listening to a talk or a podcast, I like to repeat the important things I hear to myself.
If I’m pampering myself, I like to take time to speak kind words and words of gratitude out loud for the fact that I am able to do this for myself.
I find that most of the stress I experience comes from a place of thinking back to things in the past that I cannot change or things in the future that have not even happened yet, all of which take me away from the present moment. However, some may experience stress that is far more severe. In that case I would highly recommend reaching out to a loved one and also contacting an expert who will be able to help you overcome your stresses.
April is Stress Awareness Month and this year’s theme is ‘Regaining connectivity, certainty and control’. This may look like picking up a new behaviour that takes us one step closer to retrieving these three Cs. The action could be one of the things I have mentioned I do, or it could be your very own coping mechanism.
The key is to do what works for you, what destresses you and allows you to overcome whatever it is you are dealing with.”
Information sources:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/