Ideas for managing stress in your life!

Identify the stressor(s)

Environmental: Crowds, temperature, noise etc

Cognitive: beliefs and expectations

Emotional: Bereavement, loss, change, lack of choice or freedom etc

Resolve them Yourself

Speak to people involved and try to come to a resolution or compromise perhaps. Aim for win-win in most scenarios, not a win-lose for either person

Make changes to your behaviours, feelings and beliefs, your values and even expectations if they are realistic - perhaps check them out with others, a professional or research

Take yourself away from the stressful situation - the flight part of fight-flight response to threats

Get Support to make changes

Professional help - counselling to explore emotional issues, coaching for practical solutions, mentoring for helpful insights and tips, guidance from experts or those who have 'been there, done that' can help too

Friends and Family - maybe they know you but they also often want to support and help you make the best choices and decisions for you. They may also have an agenda too.

Colleagues and Peers - they know the work stressors and issues, may recognise how you function at work v home and can offer an understanding that family and friends outside cannot

Research and Insights - ACAS for employment, HMRC for tax and accounts, company websites for specific needs, or general enquiries, even 'tests' and 'games' for profiling ideas!

Make Changes for yourself

Mind-set - change your mind, change your life. Really! How you see the world influences how you behave towards it - circumstances, people, options, opportunities, situations and your own self

Beliefs and Values - really yours or embedded from others e.g. parents & family, culture or religion, neighbourhoods or countries, friends and colleagues, workplace or homelife and more

Expectations - these may not be as realistic as you believe so open yourself to learning and experiencing more, ask questions, research and find out what you expect from whom, and why (not)

Needs - meeting your needs from basic needs like food and shelter to emotional needs like love and being valued, or achievement to relationships that matter most to you in your values for example, is essential and the power you can develop to help you meet what you need from life!

Actions - speak louder than words, so believe what you 'see' and experience from yourself and others, and also be aware of your actions and listen to feedback (even if you choose not to believe it, it appears that way to others - or can do)

The NHS Five Steps to Health

Mindfulness - aware of your environment, your Self and what is going on around you

Activity - walking and exercise, to hobbies and work 'flow', action is essential for health

Connection with other people, individually, groups, teams, family or social/sports perhaps

Learning - we learn all the time but be aware, be open to it and even seek out new experiences and knowledge when and where you can

Sharing/giving - neighbourly help to those around you, at work, community, locality or friends and family - relationships are essential for health, wellbeing and enjoying life