National Stress Awareness Week
Stress Awareness Week 2024 will run from Monday, November 4th to Friday, November 8th.
The focus will be on emotional management and tackling ongoing mental health issues, especially those made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Key topics will include handling stress, building resilience, and improving mental well-being. The goal of the week is to help people understand how stress impacts mental health, especially at work, and offer simple ways to manage emotions and reduce stress.
Everyone experiences stress from time to time, especially when facing changes or challenges in life, like financial concerns, work pressures, or relationship difficulties. A small amount of stress can actually be helpful, motivating us to focus and accomplish tasks that need our attention.
How we handle stress plays a major role in our mental well-being, and the first step in managing it is understanding how and why it impacts us.
What happens to our bodies when we are stressed?
When we are stressed, our bodies react through a variety of physical, emotional, and mental changes. The fight-or-flight response is triggered by the hypothalamus, which signals the adrenal glands to release stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones cause several immediate effects, such as an increased heart rate, higher blood pressure, and faster breathing. This response prepares us to deal with threats but can become harmful when experienced long-term.
Physical effects:
Cardiovascular system: Blood vessels constrict, raising blood pressure and increasing the risk of heart disease.
Muscles: Tension increases in preparation for physical action, often leading to muscle aches, headaches, or migraines.
Digestive system: Stress can disrupt digestion, leading to problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Immune system: While short-term stress boosts immunity, chronic stress weakens the immune system, making us more susceptible to illness.
Mental and emotional effects:
Cognitive function: Prolonged stress can impair memory, concentration, and decision-making.
Mood: It can cause irritability, anxiety, or depression.
Sleep disturbances: Elevated cortisol levels can disrupt sleep, leading to insomnia.
Sources include, Mind - Stress and Physical Health, NHS Stress Overview, British Heart Foundation
How Stress Impacts Mental Health
Stress can have a significant impact on mental health, particularly when it becomes chronic or overwhelming. Here's how stress affects mental well-being, based on UK health resources:
Anxiety and Depression - Prolonged stress can lead to anxiety and depression.
Cognitive Impairment: Stress can make it difficult to concentrate, remember things, or make decisions, as it disrupts cognitive functions.
Sleep Disturbances: Stress often leads to sleep issues like insomnia, which can further harm mental health
Emotional Instability: High stress levels can cause mood swings, irritability, and feelings of overwhelm
Managing stress through self-care, relaxation techniques, and seeking professional support is key to protecting mental health.
How to manage stress
Managing stress is essential for maintaining good mental health, here are a few ideas:
Practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques, here at Talking Therapies we offer a Mindful Living Course to help you bring mindfulness into daily lives.
Regular exercise, is such a great way to relieve stress by increasing the endorphins which help improve mood, therefore reducing feelings of stress. Our socials team offer walks, mens football, and couch to 5k. Find out more here.
Maintain a balanced diet, Eating a well-balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can support your mental health. Certain nutrients, like omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins B and D, are particularly beneficial for reducing stress and improving mood. BBC Good Food is a great tool for ideas on what to cook.
Prioritise sleep, good sleep hygiene is vital for managing stress. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. You can register to attend our Improving Your Sleep workshop here to learn more.
Social connections with friends, family or support groups can help you cope with stress. Building friendships, and engaging in conversations can help reduce feeling sof isolation. Our fabulous socials team host free events throughout the month, and always welcome new faces, and old ones too!
Professional help: If stress becomes overwhelming we can help. Talking Therapies provide a range of support for people with common mental health and emotional issues, such as low mood, depression, or stress.
Talking Therapies Support
We aim to reduce the onset of mental ill-health, prevent deterioration and promote recovery by offering a range of flexible services tailored to meet your specific needs.
Our services, provided in community settings throughout the region, include a wide range of workshops and courses, talking therapies, including counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy. Alongside this, we also offer social support within the community including peer support work, employment advice and social events.
Norfolk & Waveney Talking Therapies work in partnership with a number of organisations. These are:
If you or anyone else is in crisis, or feeling suicidal then please call 999 , or the Samaritans on 116 123 , or you can also contact your GP who will be able to help you. If you're experiencing a mental health crisis, call 111 and select option 2. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
