Five ways to keep your stress under control

A certain level of stress is healthy and can help motivate us to get things done, however when stress begins to leave us feeling overwhelmed and unable to manage day-to-day life we may find we need some support.

Here are our top tips to managing stress:

Top tip 1 – Breathe

If you’re finding you are feeling overwhelmed one of the first things to do is to pause for a moment and breathe.

Take a few moments now to have a break, breathe slowly and relax.

Top tip 2 – Take small steps

We can find it very overwhelming if we focus on the end result e.g. a 5000 word report for work.

It’s important to break things down into small steps that feel more manageable e.g. completing the introduction for the report.

Top tip 3 – Share how you are feeling

If we hold on to our emotions and thoughts they can build up and up until we can’t keep them in any longer.

If we think about a beach ball in the sea, if we try and push this beach ball under the water we can only hold it there so long before it bursts out of the water!

In difficult periods of stress it is important to share how you are feeling. If you feel comfortable, share with someone you trust. You could also contact the Samaritans if you’d prefer or perhaps write down how you’re feeling.

Call Samaritans 116 123

Top Tip 4: Create balance

It’s important we have balance in our lives ensuring we have time for ourselves to do things we enjoy.

It can be helpful to schedule in time to call friends and loved ones, for reading, for pampering – anything that nourishes you and gives you joy. These moments will help you get through stressful times.

Top Tip 5: Stay Active

Exercise is a great way to relieve stress as it releases endorphins which help us feel better.

You can find exercise videos for all fitness levels on the NHS website.

Visit the NHS website to watch fitness videos (opens new browser tab)

If you feel you could benefit from some more information about managing stress you can book on to our Stress Less courses which you can access from the comfort of your own home.

Read more about our Stress Less course (opens new browser tab)