The week commencing 14th May is Mental Health Awareness Week and in aid of this I want to be a part of the community that spreads awareness and helps eliminate the stigma that surrounds mental health. I will be posting blog posts on numerous topics throughout the week and creating awareness of certain topics on all my social media accounts (Twitter, Insta & Facebook). One reason why I want to do this, is because I have SO much passion for helping others and one way I can do that is to use social media in positive way, as a platform to create awareness and help others.
My first blog post will be tied in with this years theme of Stress: Are We Coping?
I can say for sure that we all encounter stress in our lives, whether it be stress at work, family, school, uni etc. Stress can be positive as it helps keep us alert and helps us perform better in certain situations, however excessive or prolonged stress can contribute to illnesses such as heart disease or mental health problems. Research has shown that two thirds of us experience a mental health problem in our lifetimes, and stress is a key factor.
What is Stress?
Stress is a feeling of being under abnormal amounts of pressure. Stress can come from different aspects of your life e.g. increased workload, a big change in your life, family or financial worries. Sometimes these stressors can build up, making the feeling worse.
Identifying the symptoms of Stress:
By knowing what the symptoms of stress are, you can effectively try to deal with it so it doesn't become a big problem. Stress affects people differently but there are some common symptoms ...
- feelings of constant worry or anxiety
- feelings of being overwhelmed
- mood swings
- irritability or having a short temper
- difficulty concentrating
- depression
- low self-esteem
- changes in your sleeping habits
- eating more or less than usual
- difficulty relaxing
Steps you can take if you're feeling stressed:
1. Realise when stress is causing you problems
2. Identify the causes of your stress
3. Try to think about the causes in three different ways
a) those that have a practical solution
b) those that will get better with time
c) those you can't do anything about
4. Let go of those that you can't do anything about and those that will get better with time!!
5. Review your lifestyle. Ask yourself these questions ...
Is there anything you can do to ease the stress? Are you taking too much on? What do you enjoy doing/what relaxes you? Schedule more relaxing things into your day to relieve some of the stress you are feeling.
If you want to learn more about stress and the ways to manage your stress, check out the Mental Health Foundation website.
I'll be posting more on Mental Health & Well-being next week so keep an eye out! :)
Amrita x
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