Dealing with Stress
by Edward Malkin
Since the beginning of the pandemic, everyone has been dealing with different levels of stress, whether it be with their job, their home lives, being on furlough, or having to balance work and children. This pandemic has added to the stresses of everyone’s normal life and it is extremely important that we find ways to help us deal with this stress and not bury it or try to ignore it.
The build up of stress can cause mental health and physical health issues if not dealt with properly. It is not just the major things that can cause these issues. Imagine you have a bucket which is where your stresses are contained. You have the major stresses that may be in there, meeting finances, childcare, your job etc. However, there are also the smaller things that can contribute towards your stresses such as something as small as your partner not cleaning up after themselves, having to go food shopping, the washing that might be piling up in the corner. It is important that we find ways to empty this bucket to stop this from overflowing. It can be as simple as finding something that you enjoy such as reading, art, exercise. Whatever it is, it is important that we make the time to do things that we enjoy as this is what will help us relax and ease our stresses.
Some helpful ways to help manage stress and anxieties can be as follows:
- Eating healthily
- Be aware of smoking and drinking alcohol
- Exercise
- Taking time to yourself
- Be mindful
- Get some restful sleep
- Don’t be too hard on yourself
Taken from Mental Health Website
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/how-manage-and-reduce-stress
Now that the country is starting to get back to the way it was before the pandemic and restrictions are lifting, we can now go and spend time with our friends and family who we can share any of these stresses with. Getting the chance to speak with other people about this will be a cathartic way to address the issues we have in our life.
It is important to mention that you can always seek professional help to prevent the stress bucket from overflowing. There are many places that you can go where you can speak with people. The Mental Health Foundation website is a great place to visit if you need help with any of the above.
