National Stress Awareness Day – 2nd November 2022

Stress is a part of everyday life and can often feel unpleasant. Generally, we don’t like ‘unpleasant’ and so we try to make it stop, which can, in turn, lead to more stress and unpleasant feelings. A better approach can be to learn techniques to get through the moments of stress, so-called ‘weathering the storm.’ Here are some strategies that use the senses for grounding effect when the stress feels like it is becoming too much:

Sit back in your chair and notice 5 objects in the room with you – this may be something simple like a pen. Visually study the object, taking in as much detail as possible – size, colour, marks etc. When you have finished studying one object move onto the next.

 

 Switch on to your hearing. Like smells, there are often subtle sounds around us that we do not normally notice. Take a few minutes to really hear these sounds – try not to react to them with thoughts – just notice them and wait for the next one.

 

Take some long, deep breaths through you nose (aim for 6-7 breaths per minute) and notice the air moving through your nostrils. Also, notice any smells. There are   always subtle smells we rarely notice   and becoming aware of them can be a great grounding agent. If you have the time, you might want  to try the same exercise outdoors.

 

Start by noticing your body’s contact with the chair you are sitting on – feeling the pressure on the back of your legs. Then notice the contact between your feet and the floor. How about the clothes you are wearing? Can you feel their contact with your skin?

 

Focus your attention on your mouth, first noticing any tension in your jaw, and then noticing any tastes in your mouth. Simply spend a few minutes noticing the different tastes and sensations as they come and go.

 

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Embrace JOMO (the Joy of Missing Out)

Thanks to social media, we are now more connected than ever, yet this can actually create feelings of distance and disconnection. Being able to continuously check out where others are checking in, see the latest fads and favourites, and peer at ‘picture-perfect’ poses, the business and bustle of others can make us question if we too should be going out and joining in.

Escaping this ‘must-do’ mentality is essential to improving our mental health and wellbeing. Embracing JOMO (or ‘The Joy of Missing Out’) can be a positive step in reducing the feeling that you are obligated to take part and fit in, and this can reduce the additional pressure and stress in a number of different ways, including mentally, financially and physically. The emphasis on ‘JOMO’ is not that you are missing out, but that you have the choice to take a step back when you need to, to miss out on the ‘right things’ and giving you time to regroup, recharge and relax.

 

EMBRACING JOMO

1. START A DIGITAL DETOX

How often is your phone the first thing that you reach for when you wake up? How about sitting with your phone right next to you while you watch TV? Are you guilty of looking at your phone right before you go to sleep? Our phones, and by extension our tablets and other similar technologies, have become an essential part of our lives. Of course, they can help to minimise stress by keeping us organised, in contact and in the know. But their presence can also be a damaging distraction to our lives. Giving yourself time away from your phone is an important part of taking control of your wellbeing. Studies show that the blue light from your phone’s screen stimulates the brain so if you are using your phone as a tool to help you sleep, this could actually be having the reverse reaction. Downing your devices an hour before bedtime can help your body switch off and relax properly for a good night’s sleep. Ban phones at the dinner table so that you can focus on the people around you and use the time to catch up properly instead of being distracted by timelines and memes. Give yourself time to properly see and engage with the world around you rather than the electronic one in your hand.

2. SLOW DOWN

Life can feel like a treadmill of hustle and bustle. Often we find ourselves flitting from one activity to another, our days seeming to pass in a blur of work, appointments and commitments. Reducing the rush in our lives can give us time to recognise the things that are important to us, to invest and develop relationships with people we care about, and to reward ourselves for our hard work and commitment. In such a fast-paced world, think about the last time you sat down and actually did nothing. When did you go for a walk without having a reason or a time to adhere to? Scheduling time so that you have time to stop and appreciate the world around you is an essential part of JOMO – step out of the chaos into the calm when you need to.

3. SAY NO!

Often, we can be inundated with requests and invitations, and this can mean that we don’t have the time to stop and rest, even though sometimes we know that is what we should be doing. Being able to recognise when we need to recharge is essential. If your mobile phone was low in charge, you would either reduce your use of it to try to keep the battery going for a little longer until you could find a charger or you would stop using it immediately, plug it in and let it replenish with energy. Think about your body in the same way. Persistently pushing yourself physically and mentally with no time to rest will mean that you could eventually burn out. At the very least, it may mean that you are not able to work as efficiently as you usually would.

4. SCHEDULE ACTIVITIES YOU ENJOY

We are not always able to only do things that we want to. Different activities that make up our lives may not always be at the top of our list, but they fulfil an obligation or necessity. Planning things for you to do that brings joy means that you have a balance within your life and creates essential rewards for you completing the other activities. For example, you might dislike supermarket shopping, but obviously, it is an crucial chore meaning that you have the food and supplies needed to live. You could balance this activity by planning in some time afterwards to do something you do enjoy, such as putting your feet up and reading for a while. If your schedule is packed out, make sure you diarise time to complete a hobby, spend time with someone who makes you smile or just focus on some you-time to get that balance back.

 

 

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO MISS OUT AND DISCOVER THE THINGS YOU WERE ACTUALLY MISSING OUT ON ALL ALONG.

As a company, our vision is to simply see people flourishing in the workplace and our mission is to help clients to support and develop good psychological health in their teams. That is because we believe flourishing people create thriving organisations. 

We do this by providing specialist training and services to support mental health, resilience and wellbeing in the workplace.

Whether you are looking for face-to-face training, online learning or a blend of the two, we can tailor training on topics such as resilience, mental health and other developmental areas, perfectly suited to your organisation and team.  

Resilient People       

www.resilientpeople.co.uk         [email protected]       01977 210220

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Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing and yoga. It helps us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings so that instead of being overwhelmed by them, we are able to manage them better.

The focus on mindfulness in business has grown exponentially as organisations recognise that rapid changes in technology, the marketplace and the global playing field have caused chaos and uncertainty. These realities create stressful conditions for the people within the organisations and thus calls for a change.

Practising mindfulness can give people more insight into their emotions, boost their attention and concentration and improve relationships. It’s proven to help with stress, anxiety, depression and addictive behaviours, and can even have a positive effect on physical problems like hypertension, heart disease and chronic pain.

How you can be mindful

Reminding yourself to take notice of your thoughts, feelings, body sensations and the world around you is the first step to mindfulness.

As we go about our daily lives we can almost sometimes go into an ‘autopilot’ mode which causes us to block out all kinds of things that are going off around us, everyday things like the food we have, the sound of the birds singing or even just the feel of the breeze moving around us. Taking the time to notice these seemly small observations can have a huge impact and knock us out of autopilot and give us a new perspective on life.

It can be helpful to pick a time – the morning journey to work or a walk at lunchtime – during which you decide to be aware of the sensations created by the world around you. Trying new things, such as sitting in a different seat in meetings or going somewhere new for lunch, can also help you notice the world in a new way.

Also, take notice of all the different things that goes off in your mind. Take a step back and watch them go round in your head, imagine they’re like leaves swirling round on the ground when it’s windy. There is no need to try to change the thoughts, or argue with them, or judge them: just observe. This takes practice. It’s about putting the mind in a different mode, in which we see each thought as simply another mental event and not an objective reality that has control over us.

You can practise this anywhere, but it can be especially helpful to take a mindful approach if you realise that, for several minutes, you have been “trapped” in reliving past problems or “pre-living” future worries.

As well as practising mindfulness in daily life, it can be helpful to set aside time for a more formal mindfulness practice.

There are several practices that can help create a new awareness of body sensations, thoughts and feelings. The most commonly known are:

  • Meditation – where participants sit silently and pay attention to the sensations of breathing or other regions of the body, bringing the attention back whenever the mind wanders.
  • Yoga – where participants often move through a series of postures that stretch and flex the body, with emphasis on awareness of the breath.
  • Tai-chi – where participants perform a series of slow movements, with emphasis on awareness of breathing.
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