Addressing your stress

Stress can show up in different ways for everyone, so it's important to recognise signs or feelings to overcome them.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your to-do list seems endless, deadlines are fast approaching and you find yourself saying ‘Eek! I feel stressed!’? But what is stress really, and how does it affect us?

On National Stress Awareness Day (2 November) we will be highlighting the ways that stress can affect people and what staff can do to reduce these feelings.

Recognising the signs of stress

Stress affects different people in different ways. Below is a list of some of the common signs. Some of these things will not apply to you. You may have other signs of stress that we have not listed.

Support for stress

There isn’t a set process for where you should start, or what you should do, everyone is different. You may need to try different things until you find what works for you.you may wish to try some of the suggestions below:

• Create a stress diary: You could write down when you feel stressed, include what happens just before or after you feel stressed. It could also help you to identify things which can make you unwell. These things are known as ‘triggers.’ Identifying your triggers can help you to have more control over your stress levels.
• Plan your time: If you plan your time this can make you feel more in control of things. Some examples are write lists of what you need to do, prioritise the most important tasks, share tasks with others if you can, don't put things off, and set yourself steps and goals for complicated tasks.
• Try practicing mindfulness: This practice is about focusing on the here and now. It might help you to find calmness and clarity to respond to stressful situations. See our pages on mindfulness and join a free class today to learn more.

Self assessment tools

If you often experience feelings of stress, you might want to complete our self-assessment questionnaires to find out more about your symptoms.