Changes need to be made in tackling stress

Marking Stress Awareness Month in April, Changes Community Health Project has highlighted that its team is on hand to give free, confidential, non-judgemental support.

Manager Caitlin Rodgers said: “Stress can be caused by many different life challenges or events and we are all affected by stress at some stage in our lives. It affects us in many different ways and can impact our mood, our relationships, our jobs, our sleep and our general health. Sometimes we don’t even realise we are stressed or we accept stress as part of our everyday lives.

“A bit of stress is normal but it can become problematic if we let it build up. Take action to tackle stress by contacting Changes. We’ll help people find the support that’s right for them, from healthy living activities, relaxation and mindfulness to talking therapies and support groups.

“Don’t let your stress bucket overflow – we’re here to help you find coping strategies that work for you.”

Lucy Bond, cognitive behavioural therapist at Changes, said: “Stress is any event, situation or relationship that puts us under pressure and activates our threat system. We can experience small amounts of stress or large amounts of stress. Stress can be infrequent or it can happen frequently.

“When we are stressed, we may be prone to think more negatively about ourselves, others and the outcome of events. We will typically overestimate the threat and underestimate our ability to cope with it. Our thoughts may feel jumbled, unclear and race away, or the opposite – freeze and go blank.

Caitlin Rodgers, manager at Changes Community Health Project

“Stress makes us feel anxious, overwhelmed, vulnerable, irritable, angry, frustrated, hopeless and sad. We may feel tense, headachy, dizzy, nauseous, butterflies, sweaty, a sudden need to go to the bathroom, tired, yawning more than usual.”

She added that stress might cause sleepless nights, worrying about the future, ruminating about the past, snapping at our nearest and dearest, comfort eating, not eating at all, catastrophising, isolating ourselves, telling everyone about it, avoiding people and running away.

She said: “When we feel stressed, we are prone to think more negatively about ourselves, others and situations. Try speaking to yourself in a kind and gentle way to alleviate pressure. Using ‘the best friend technique’ to think about what you would say to a friend in the same situation can help us gain a more compassionate perspective.”

She also gave the following tips for coping with stress, including:

l Prioritise – It is hard to think straight when we get stressed, so making a list to separate what needs immediate action and what can wait can be helpful to break actions down into something more manageable;

l Talk – Don’t suffer alone. Speak to someone about it and make a plan. Stress feeds on isolation, and two heads are better than one.

l Breathe – Breathing techniques calm our nervous system and help to switch off our internal stress alarm. Download a mindfulness or breathing app and practice feeling calm.

l Build routine – Building routines around sleep (restoration), eating and drinking (fuel), and fun activities (leisure) will help keep stress levels down and increase motivation.

l Exercise – Exercise is a natural way of burning off the stress hormone adrenaline. It doesn’t have to be a lot, just enough to raise your heart rate. Contact Changes at info@changeschp.org.uk or call 0131 653 3977 for support.