Talking about stress has become part and parcel of our daily conversation. How often do you say "I'm so stressed"?
That creeping ARGH
How often do you feel stress? That creeping 'arghhhh' that happens when you are doing one thing but feeling that you should be doing something else. Like when you are working but feeling you should be exercising. Or playing with your kids but feeling you should be working. Or working on one project but feeling you have 5 other things you should be doing for your boss that are more important. Sound familiar? Feelings of stress are normal and part of life and in fact often beneficial as this is part of our body inbuilt way of functioning.
How stress affects our body... and brain
However this stress reaction can take different forms for different people at different times and it's not always a positive effect on our health. When we are stressed, or identify something stressful going on around us, our body goes into a fight or flight position with the idea of self protection.
In this state, our hormones go into haywire; cortisol peaks and when this chemical stress reaction happens on an ongoing regular basis, the reaction within ourselves can be so subtle we don’t always notice it until things have built up to a level that stress is revealing itself in different ways. Perhaps a feeling of struggling to cope, making mistakes, arguing with our nearest and dearest or struggling to sleep.
Stress at Work
Work related stress is common- that is stress as direct result of number of different factors in our workplace — over 12.8 million days of absence per year are lost to work placed stress. (hse.gov.uk)
Within a work place sources of stress can come from the role itself, changes within the role not being communicate, difficulties in work place relationships, a sense of lack of support or personal control over what we are being asked to do and changing demands being placed on us
The impact of stress
Stress can affect how we feel, how we think, how we behave and even our physical health such as affecting our hear rate, blood pressure or our sleep patterns
We may notice difficulty concentrating, lapses in memory, becoming vague, easily distracted, recurrent negative thinking, worrying and difficulty in trusting our intuition.
We might feel more tearful, more irritable, have mood swings, feel sensitive to criticism, more defensive, struggle with motivation. There may be a feeling of being out of control, being angry, increased frustration. Persistent feelings like this can result in a lack of confidence or self esteem.
Physical symptoms can occur too. Commonly people report a loss of libido, rashes, gut symptoms such as indigestion or a change in weight, frequent colds or infection, palpitations or feeling dizzy or even difficulty swallowing .
Phew. It's a lot, isn't it?
It’s important to be aware of these for ourselves and for those we care about to avoid unnecessary stress.
What can you do to reduce stress?
How to cope with stress
Look after the basics- get enough sleep, drink enough water, move more, eat well. These are some of the core building blocks of brain health at Noggin HQ.
Reframe your thoughts: Try to see things differently, that can be hard on your own but talk to someone else you trust about your worries and what ever is making you feel stressed
Take a break: Even just a few minutes in the work day can help you feel refreshed and better prepared for the tasks ahead.
Accept what you cannot change: This is a big one! Make a list of everything that is worrying you about the situation, divide it into what you can and cannot change. You might find there are more things in the ‘cannot change’ versus ‘can change’ column, so focus on accepting this.
Write a list: Organise your day with clear tasks to avoid feelings of overwhelm. Try to get the tough things done first!
Learn to say NO: If we are struggling or under pressure we can feel the need to try harder, do more, try to prove that we are ‘doing ok’. Say no to more than you can handle. Your health, and your noggin, will thank you for it.
Try supplementation: Taking a supplement that offers relief from feelings of stress and anxiety, such as Noggin's PAUSE can be hugely beneficial to your overall wellbeing. Containing adaptogens like Ashwagandha and Rhodiola Rosea, PAUSE helps you take a break from feelings of overwhelm, reduces stress and boosts sleep quality without any sedative effect.
