Stress Awareness Month: 4 Small Changes, Big Impact

Every April in the United Kingdom, it’s Stress Awareness Month – where the all-too-common issue of stress is recognized.

In 2018, a survey by the Mental Health Foundation discovered that 74% of the 4,619 adults surveyed had been so stressed at some point that they felt ‘overwhelmed or unable to cope’.

The truth is that nobody is immune to stress, with work stress, financial stress, family stress, and relationship stress all ready to disrupt your sense of wellbeing.

In this article, we show you some small changes you can make to your daily routine that will help ease your stress levels.

Here are some ways of dealing with stress:

Take a Walk

Whether you are stressed at work or at home, putting on your shoes and taking a ten-minute walk will help you cope with stress.

Of course, exercise like this can boost endorphins, which in turn can leave you feeling more relaxed. But a walk is so much more than a simple endorphin release.

Firstly, it immediately gets you out of the situation that may be causing you stress. The walk can also be used as an opportunity to practice mindfulness techniques (focusing on the sights and sounds around you), or to reconnect with your body, or to just have a think about your problems in a different environment.

If you can take your walk somewhere in nature, like a park, beach or green space, then all the better. This is because exposure to natural environments has been shown to reduce psychological stress, so combine it with a walk for a win-win situation.

Make a Hot Drink

Simply getting away from your desk, bed or wherever is causing you stress and making a hot cup of something nice is an excellent way to relieve stress.

It doesn’t actually matter what you put in the cup (although perhaps avoid strong coffee if you are already feeling stressed), because it turns out that the ritual of making a hot drink is just as important.

One study on the effects of tea consumption on stress concluded that the ritual of making a cup of tea had an effect on the wellbeing of the test group. Interestingly, people reported that having a cup of tea resulted in ‘sense of partition’ – in other words, drawing a line under the preceding period of stress or anxiety.

You can also use this hot drink as an opportunity to use our popular Relief Drops. These independently tested drops are made with certified organic ingredients and contain 600mg of full spectrum CBD. The result is a complete soothing experience for the body and mind.

We have explored the topic of enhancing your drinks with CBD in more depth in our article on new ways to add CBD into your routine.

Have a Bath

We couldn’t write an article on dealing with stress and leave off taking a long soak in the bath! Taking a hot bath is a timeless remedy for dealing with stress and can leave you feeling relaxed and ready for a good night of sleep (which, it turns out, is another great stress reliever!).

Immersion in hot water has been shown to help lower blood pressure and heart rate, while also slowing the production of the stress hormones cortisol and aldosterone.

Aim to run your bath to a temperature of between 35°C and 45°C, and then soak in it for at least 10 to 15 minutes to enjoy the relaxing benefits to your body and mind.

To boost your bath, throw in a few handfuls of our Relief Salts while the water is running. These Epsom salts are enhanced with calming essential oils like frankincense and eucalyptus that can help nurture a sense of ease.

It’s the perfect way to mark stress awareness month!

Take a Break from Tech

If you are at the beck and call of your smartphone, with constant pings of emails, texts, social media notifications and calls, it’s time to take a break.

Stress from technology use can arise due to many reasons. The feeling of always being connected to work. The constant social comparison you make with other people. Disrupted sleep.

Luckily, there are several ways to take a break from your tech.

You can try a full digital detox, where you use no technology for a set amount of time (you will find plenty of information on this online… somewhat ironically!). Or you can use an app that restricts your phone usage for a certain period.

Or you can simply commit to small changes, like leaving your phone in a different room when you sleep or read, or going shopping without your phone. The more you do it, the easier it becomes to disconnect for a while.

Remember, these are just some small changes you can make! Sometimes you may need more help. If you are struggling to cope with stress, you can call Mind’s Infoline on 0300 123 3393 for non-urgent information about possible mental health support and services.