There are many sources of stress that can affect how we feel emotionally. During our first aid for mental health courses I ask the candidates to write down the things in their lives that they feel contribute to their stress. Work and family are mentioned by many, along with financial pressure and ill health. There are however other sources that we must consider.
If we break the sources of stress into five categories, below are some of the examples that candidates frequently write down.
Life Changes
Work
Emotional
Physical
Environmental
This isn’t intended to be an exhaustive list. It does however help us to look at various areas of our lives and assess if we are being subjected to excess stress in any of them. Once we have identified where our stress is coming from, we can then start to work on ways to relieve it.
When I ask candidates to describe how they feel when they’re stressed they use words like overwhelmed, angry, sad, worry, frustration, anxious and racing thoughts are usually mentioned. It is important that we take some time to look inwards and understand how we feel when we are stressed. We can then try to use coping mechanisms to help us deal with it before it becomes a problem.
We have already seen that many things can cause us to experience the effects of stress. Short term stress isn’t necessarily to be concerned about. However, the effects of long-term stress can put an individuals health at risk.
Some long-term effects of stress include:
If you are experiencing the effects of stress, there are some things you can do to help yourself cope:
It may also be worth having a chat with your GP to see if they can help you with therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), other talking therapies or medication.
Remember, it’s ok to not feel ok. It isn’t ok to not ask for help.
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