• Causes of stress and how it affects us

Stress can cause anxiety, loneliness and isolation, lowering personal wellbeing and impacting people’s health; millions of people around the UK are experiencing high levels of stress, damaging their health. In the past year, 74% of people have felt so stressed they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope: 51% of adults who felt stressed reported feeling depressed, and 61% feeling anxious – 37% of adults who reported feeling stressed also said feeling lonely, according to mentalhealth.org.uk.

Among behavioural effects, 46% had problems overeating, 29% said they started drinking or increased their drinking, and 16% started or increased their smoking. People between 18-and 24 years old who have experienced high levels of stress felt that comparing themselves to others was a source of stress. Younger people also had higher stress issues related to the pressure to succeed, whilst 36% of women related high-stress levels with their appearance and body image, compared to 23% of men. The total number of cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2020 and 2021 was at a prevalence rate of 2,480 per 100,000 workers, according to hse.gov.uk.

• Understanding stress

We all perceive stress differently based on how resilient or vulnerable we might feel at a particular stage. Among the first clues about being stressed are physical signs, such as tiredness, increased heart rate, headaches or an upset stomach – or any other anxiety feelings’ telling’ your body to perceive and react to something that could be dangerous. When we feel stressed, we often find it hard to sleep due to the body
struggling to produce our sleepy hormone, melatonin, in the evening. As a result, we might struggle to eat well, resulting in a poor diet. This and lack of sleep can affect our physical health, making us feel more stressed emotionally.

Also, when we feel anxious, our bodies release hormones called cortisol and adrenaline, the body’s automatic fight, flight or freeze response of preparing to respond to a threat. So if you experience stress often, you’re probably producing high levels of these hormones, which can make you feel physically unwell and affect your health in the longer term.

It’s common to mistake stress for pressure or ‘positive stress’. However, when placed under pressure, the adrenaline hormone produced gives us energy and excitement to tackle the many demands. Pressure is a normal part of life, but we might feel overwhelmed if exposed to too much pressure. In addition, we can experience burnout and negative feelings affecting day to day life.

• TOP TIPS to help you tackle and manage stress levels

1. Exercise: Movement and working out are the best ways to relax your body and mind and improve your mood. It can be regularly or when you experience stress most. When you’re stressed, your
   muscles get tense. So help loosen and refresh with stretching, brisk walks in nature, or a visit to your local gym and wellbeing centre. To stay motivated, you can set fitness goals, but remember that any movement and exercise is better than none.
2. Keep track of when you feel stressed in a journal and notice if there is a pattern of when your stress appears. Make a note of when you become most stressed or anxious to identify better the pattern repeating.
3. Talking about them can help lower your stress if things are stressing you. Verbally express your feelings to friends, family or colleagues. Talking out how you feel can help you understand the urgency or danger of what is perceived. 
4. Eliminate stress triggers. Figure out what are the biggest causes of stress in your life. Is it your job, issues at home, or maybe your commute? If you can identify what they are, see if you can reduce or even eliminate them from your life.
5. It’s essential to seek advice when struggling with stress. And feeling if you feel your stress levels are becoming too challenging to manage. It can be from your GP, a wellbeing advisor, instructors and specialists at your local wellbeing and fitness centre.

• Positive coping strategies from our Wellbeing experts

When the body reacts to stress, its response puts us at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, generally feeling exhausted, impatient, irritated and anxious. Therefore, you must adopt positive
coping strategies that help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is linked to ‘rest and digest’. We recommend remembering this as ‘relax and distress’.

Below, a few factors we should focus on when activating the parasympathetic nervous system.

1. Aim to release “feel good” hormones. You can do this through exercise, nutritious food, spending time with friends and family or indulging in your favourite form of self-care. 
2. Choose an activity you gain enjoyment. For example, if you don’t enjoy running or the local choir is not for you, experiment with other activities to discover what brings you joy and happiness.
3. Preserve energy. Life can become very hectic when juggling demands, people, work, home life, etc. So take it slowly, enjoy downtime each day, say no when needed, and aim to cultivate a healthy bedtime routine to maximise sleep time.

Please read here our OneWellness team Top Stress-busting tips.