Stress is something we all have to deal with at certain times of our lives, be it at work or at home or in our personal relationships. It can sometimes feel overwhelming, but there are things you can do to manage it. Build yourself an action plan and take steps to develop your resilience so that you can face stressful situations with confidence. To mark Mental Health Awareness month, we share 8 ideas to show you how.
- Treat problems as a learning process. Develop the habit of using challenges as opportunities to acquire or master skills and build achievement.
- Celebrate your successes. Take time at the end of each day to review what went well and congratulate yourself. This trains the mind to look for success rather than dwelling on negativity and “failure”.
- Nurture a positive view of yourself. Developing confidence in your ability to solve problems and trusting your instincts helps to build resilience.
- Develop realistic life goals for guidance and a sense of purpose. Do something each day to move towards them. Again, small is beautiful; one small step amid the chaos of a busy day will help.
- Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. You can’t change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to them. Try looking beyond the present to envisage future circumstances in a better light. Note any subtle ways in which you may feel better as you deal with difficult situations.
- Make connections. Good/strong relationships with family, friends or others are important. Accepting help and support from those who care about you and will listen to you, strengthens resilience.
- Maintain a hopeful outlook. An optimistic outlook enables you to anticipate that good things will happen in your life. Try visualising what you want, instead of worrying about what you fear.
- Take care of yourself. Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in activities you enjoy and find relaxing. Taking care of yourself helps to keep your mind and body primed to deal with situations that require resilience.
And if you want to check your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, try this quiz below. It could set you up to make some positive and beneficial changes in your life.
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