In this fast-paced world, stress has quietly become a part of our everyday lives. We talked about being stressed at work, burned out from responsibilities, or being overwhelmed by the constant demands of life. Yet many of us rarely pause to understand what stress really means for our well-being.
Every year, National Stress Awareness Day, observed on the first Wednesday of November, serves as a gentle reminder to slow down, breathe, and reflect on how stress affects both mind and body.
Stress at the workplace is defined as the following:
‘The adverse reaction a person has to excessive pressure or other types of demands placed upon them’ (HSE)
‘That which arises when the pressure placed upon an individual exceeds the capacity of that individual to cope’ (CBI).
This National Stress Awareness day, take a few moments to reflect on your day to day workload, and take small, manageable steps to diffusing stress or reducing stress and tension from your day.
a. Take a deep breath, breath out in a long exhale, allowing your shoulders to drop and all tension to flow away.
b. Use movement - Go for a jog, practise 10 scissor jumps, or do chair push-ups to release muscle tension, improve circulation and increase the flow of oxygen to your brain.
c. Ground yourself in the present moment. When your mind is racing, use the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method: name five things you see, four you can touch, three you hear, two you smell, and one you taste.
d. Set small, realistic boundaries
When you’re overwhelmed, boundaries are a form of care. If someone adds another task to your overflowing to-do list, try phrases like, “I can start this next week,” or “I can do A or B today, what’s the priority?”