Today is National Stress Awareness Day across the UK.
It’s nearing the end of the year and it’s around this time when life can hit you hard and fast. Whether it’s personal troubles or challenges at work, we all experience stress. In fact, according to the Mental Health Foundation and YouGov – 74% of people who reported experiencing stress also said they felt overwhelmed and unable to cope.
That number is staggering to think about. Stress Awareness Day is when we should break the stigma of discussing mental health and finally delve deep into what’s happening to us and how we can manage it.
A healthy mind is a productive mind. You can’t have one without the other.
With a lot of stress being related to workload and burnout, it’s important that we consider taking time out of our day to look after ourselves, whether that’s two minutes or two hours. Taking a breather and distancing yourself from daily causes of stress can give you a new perspective on these issues while also helping you decompress and ease up.
A stress relief strategy could be anything
It could be a short walk during a break, ten minutes of personal reflection or meditation, or maybe even something as simple as a hot drink and some fresh air. Whatever helps you relax is subjective to you so long as it’s helpful. Self-care is important.
But this doesn’t mean employers should be complacent when it comes to helping with stress. Company bonding days and team-building events can be really good for morale. For example, something like bowling, regular work socials, or company nights out. It’s amazing what a change of scenery can accomplish.
At the end of the day, it’s all about the small things. What small things can you do, whether you’re an employee or an employer, to make every day a little bit healthier?