Stress Awareness Month has been held in the UK every April, since 1992 to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic. According to the Mental health Foundation 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
The relationship between mental health challenges such as stress and the impact on our physical health is becoming more widely understood. For example stress has been directly linked to health problems like heart disease, problems with our immune system, insomnia and digestive problems.
Understanding what causes us stress, recognising the signs that we’re feeling stressed and putting in place effective steps to avoid or counter stress in our lives is something that can take years to develop. For me discovering the mindful movement and breathing techniques of Pilates was an essential part of my stress management when I worked in the Corporate world but we all have to find our stress management techniques for ourselves.
The Stress Management Society has loads of incredible resources on their website including this 30 Day Challenge Hints, Links and Tips guide to help navigate this journey. Of course some stress is useful – warning us of danger etc but ongoing chronic stress can have devastating and debilitating consequences, so be reassured there’s loads of resources out there and remember it’s a really common issue that many of us experience.
#stressmanagement #stressawarenessmonth #stressmanagementsociety