April marks Stress Awareness Month, a national initiative that has been going for over 30 years. Now run by the Stress Management Society, a non-profit organisation established in 2003, this year’s theme is #LeadWithLove which is based around the ideas of kindness and compassion – towards others and ourselves.
With exam season approaching and revision timetables well underway for many young people, this time of year can be particularly stressful and it’s something that we often speak about in the counselling room. However, it is possible that many of us are thinking about stress in the wrong way.
Can we think about stress differently?
One of the first things I discuss with young people when they talk about the impact of stress on their lives is to explain that if managed well, it can actually be a positive experience. Ultimately, stress is one of the powerful ways that our brains help motivate us; it is a call to action that often helps us to achieve more. The problem with stress is when it becomes continuous and overwhelming, interrupting sleep, deadening appetite and negatively affecting mental and physical health. If you aren’t convinced that stress can be useful, imagine how difficult it would be to meet deadlines, hand in assignments, revise for assessments, psyche ourselves up for big sporting events, presentations or performances without an element of stress. Most of us would struggle to accomplish much at all.
So, if we have established that a little stress can be a good thing, the key is to find a way of managing the stress in our lives so it doesn’t become overwhelming.
What happens when we are stressed?
When our brain detects stress, it releases chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol into the body that help raise our energy levels. We tend to think of cortisol, known as the ‘stress hormone’ as a bad thing – but actually it enables the quick release of energy in the form of glucose into the bloodstream to get us moving. The heart and lungs also work faster to deliver energy around the body where it is needed. As a result, we are more alert and ready to go. Stress has primed our bodies to work more efficiently. However, exposure to prolonged stress can result in burnout, panic attacks and even dissociation. So, we all need to find ways of managing the stress in our lives.
Managing stress more effectively
- Change your mindset – A good starting point is to change the way you think about stress. Just like anxiety, stress often operates as a cycle, so it’s not unusual for young people to become stressed about being stressed – and so the cycle continues, spiralling downwards. We can start to break that cycle by seeing stress as our friend: a motivator that releases helpful chemicals, increases our energy levels and acts as a call to action. If we see stress negative, it will increase our anxiety around it. If we can approach it in a more positive way, it can help reduce that anxiety.
- Do something for others – As human beings we are programmed to care for others as part of living in a community Stress can often make us turn inwards and focus only on ourselves, but researchers have found that doing things and caring for other people changes something in our brain’s chemistry, creating feelings of optimism and a sense of courage, helping to counteract the negative emotions and impact of stress.
- Socialise – It can be difficult if you are juggling the demands of revision or deadlines, but socialising during times of stress is as important as studying. Again, research has shown that social isolation, which often increases during times of school and workplace pressure, raises stress levels. We are social creatures and so we need the balance of work and play in our lives if we are to maintain our sense of calm and wellbeing.
- Move your body – Studies have found that physical exercise is one of the most effective ways of dealing with stress, releasing dopamine and increasing dopamine receptors in our body which help us to feel good. A walk, a run, a session at the gym, a kick about with mates in the park – any of these will help boost dopamine levels and reduce stress.
- Breathing – Regulating our breathing is an all-round great way to relax our bodies and our minds. There are many different kinds of breathing practices: square breathing, belly breathing, hand breathing etc. but the key principles are to practise regularly, maybe every night before you go to bed; and to breathe out for longer than you breathe in. There is lots of information about useful breathing techniques online.
- The basics – And of course, healthy nutrition, hydration and plenty of sleep are crucial. Stress depletes our body’s resources so we need to replace those resources with good quality food and plenty of rest. It’s easy to neglect this if you are caught in a stress spiral, so don’t forget the basics – good physical health is an important part of good mental health.
Book a free counselling consultation today
If you are struggling with stress, counselling can often help. You can book a free 20-minute consultation with Helen Campbell of Harborough Young People’s Counselling via Archway Health and Wellbeing. Call 01858 410 820 or email admin@archwayhealth.co.uk to make an appointment.