Stress Awareness Month

Almost three quarters of people in the UK felt so stressed they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope within the last year, according to a study by the Mental Health Foundation.

So for Stress Awareness Month this April we are encouraging you to talk about stress and its effects, review your coping mechanisms, look after yourself and consider how you can be kinder to others who are experiencing stress.

Everyone is different so what causes, or contributes to, stress can vary hugely from person to person. It is worth bearing in mind that what one person finds stressful, another person may find motivating.

Stress, at its most basic level, is our response to pressures from a situation or life event. Our body produces a 'fight or flight' response, helping us to respond quickly to the situation.

This can be helpful by enabling us to successfully deal with challenging situations, such as attending an interview or running a marathon, without any negative effects on our health.

However if stress becomes excessive or persistent, this pressure can cause us to be in a permanent state of 'fight or flight' making us feel overwhelmed or unable to cope. This can not only affect how we feel, think and behave, but also how our body works, causing sleeping problems, sweating, loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating, headaches, muscle tension, nausea or dizziness.

Dr Tim Patterson, Director of Public Health, said; "It's important to recognise the symptoms of stress early and find ways of coping without adopting unhealthy coping methods such as drinking, smoking or eating unhealthily.

"It's not possible to avoid getting stressed, but there are many things we can do to manage stress more effectively such as learning how to relax, taking regular exercise, and adopting good time management techniques.

"The NHS Borders Wellbeing Point has a range of useful resources, such as the 'Six Ways to be Well in the Scottish Borders' guide, to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing. There are also helpful articles on the NHS Inform website like 10 stress busters, beating stress at work, easy time management tips, coping with exam stress and breathing & relaxation exercises for stress."