Stress.
How do you feel seeing it written down? Does it instantly bring up unpleasant memories, or do you simply see a word on its own?
In Nottingham, about a quarter of adults experience high anxiety and nationwide, about 91% of adults report feeling stressed in the last year. But what is stress? How does it impact us, what can we do about it, and is it all bad?
Stress is the body’s natural response to demands and pressures placed on us, both internal and external. It’s not intrinsically a bad thing - in fact, it can be quite useful and positive. Stick with me on that one.
Stress - like all our bodily feelings - is first and foremost information. It’s preparing us for action, releasing glucose in our brains to help with focus and prioritisation, endorphins to boost us, and increasing blood flow to our muscles so we can do what we need to do.
If we notice this and take it onboard, we can direct it and use it to our advantage. If we’re unable to complete the stress cycle (more on this shortly) or are exposed to stress for prolonged periods of time, that’s when trouble creeps in. The University of Nottingham also found that FOMO (the fear of missing out) - usually associated with social media and social situations - is impacting people’s mental health and stress levels in the workplace. This is due to the overload of information sources and expectation to be in constant contact.
The truth is, we also all add to our own stress as well. Give yourself a moment to think about how you might be contributing to your own stress. Do it in a way that’s open, curious, and judgement-free - it’s not about giving yourself a hard time. Although, it might be that you are extremely critical and speak negatively to yourself. Or perhaps you force yourself to keep going when what you really need is a break. Clutter is another way we might add to our own stress. Of course, none of this is intentional. But, until it’s acknowledged, it can’t be acted upon.
My fantastic APDO colleague Caroline, of Room to Think, did a study in 2021 about clutter. A key finding was that clutter is subjective and it’s not how much of it there is that impacts people, but how they feel about it. Feeling on top of it made a difference to people’s wellbeing. That’s often true more broadly too.
How can we best manage our stress for healthy outcomes? Let’s revisit the stress cycle.
An internal or external stimulus triggers our stress response (our brain perceives a threat) and, in response, fight, flight, freeze or fawn is activated. This is where we get hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Once we’ve dealt with the situation or the stressor has passed, we experience physical and psychological relief, which completes the stress cycle. If we don’t experience relief, our body remains on high-alert, still trying to deal with the stressor, which can lead to chronic stress and burnout.
We need to move out of the hyperaware state and back into a feeling of safety and calm within our own bodies. Sometimes that’s harder done than others. Here are a few ways you can help yourself to complete the cycle:
- Physical movement - shaking, dancing, walking, stretching, yoga or pilates and rhythmic activities like stroking a pet are all good ways to support your system
- Breathwork - slowing our breath down is important. Try setting a timer for two minutes and breathing in for a count of about five and out for about five. There are lots of paced breathing apps that can help you to visualise the flow too, if that would be helpful for you
- Grounding techniques - this includes things like progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness. New research shows that engaging in short mindful activities (for example, couple of minutes several times a day) is just as effective as longer mindfulness sessions
- Getting creative - this could be through music, dancing, art, knitting, or whatever creativity means for you. This helps to connect you to youself and the moment. We often enter a state of flow when we're doing something creative, which is a sweet tonic for our brains!
- Having a plan - taking things one at a time and being kind to yourself is a solid way to tackle your stress, your clutter, and your to-do list. Focus on what’s within your control to do, what’s possible, and set yourself realistic expectations so you can celebrate as you go. That might mean that you start with ‘I’m going to declutter the chair in the bedroom’ rather than ‘I’m going to declutter the bedroom’.
Connection with others (even sharing a smile with a stranger!), creating and sticking to your boundaries will help too. Practice saying 'no' - even if you're the person you need to say no to. This can be hard, especially if you're a people-pleaser, but it has huge long term benefits. And you can absolutely do it with kindness.
Stress management has some crossover with building resilience, and working on one will positively impact the other. Take a look ways to build resilience here.
As ever, if you need a bit of help tackling your emotions, clutter, or exploring connection with yourself - here in Nottingham or virtually - then just drop me a line at hello@unjumble.uk.