For the past eighteen months, life has changed for all of us. The unpredictability of Covid-19, snap lockdowns and adjusting how we live has not been easy. Stress plays a part in all our lives at the moment and with mental health month coming in October, we want to share some ways to manage stress. Whether you’re working, job seeking or taking a break, looking after your health and wellbeing is always a priority.
Change of scenery
Lockdowns have meant that many of us are working from home or are limited in how we are working. We are not experiencing the variety of life we are used to such as catching a bus, sitting in a cafe or going into your place of work. We are of course limited with what can do during the pandemic, but where possible, try to mix up your day. It could be going for a walk in a different direction, changing your workspace at home, or taking a work call on a walk around the block instead of at your desk. They may be small changes, but sometimes it’s little actions that can help us to feel refreshed.
Connect
Staying connected to friends, family and colleagues is crucial to health and wellbeing. Stress can be sneaky. Sometimes, we may not even realise we are feeling the effects of stress for quite some time. A great way to manage stress is to talk to others. Whether it’s to share how you’re feeling, talk about your worries or even what you watched on TV last night, keep connecting. Reaching out doesn’t have to be hard, try sending an email or text message with something like: “I was thinking of having a walk at lunch today, and it would be great to say hi and catch up, are you free to chat?” Most people are eager to connect, even if it’s for a few minutes.
Downtime
We might not be able to do all the things we love during the pandemic but finding activities that bring us joy can do a lot for health and wellbeing. It may be watching your favourite movie, reading a book, taking an online class, learning a language, having a zoom party with a friend or even patting a pet! Remembering to carve out time to do activities that make you feel good, will go a long way in keeping your stress levels down.
Not everyone has a network of people they can rely on, try to be there for others if you have the capacity and check in on them. If you don’t have someone to talk to and need support, reach out to LifeLine
