1. Stress is our body’s natural response to pressure. It is often triggered by new or unexpected experiences.
2. There can be different kinds of stress.
- Routine stress over daily
- responsibilities e.g. school, work or family
- Stress triggered by negative events e.g. losing one’s job, divorce or death
Traumatic stress e.g. car accidents, natural disasters, assault or war
3. Not all stress is bad for you. Stress can act as a motivator to take action, or an opportunity to do something better. When we overcome a challenge, we become better problem solvers, and we adapt to what we initially found stressful.
4. If we sustain chronically high levels of stress without dealing with it or turning to our healthy coping mechanisms, it can affect our physical and mental health in the long term. For example, it can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, or mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.
How can I better manage my stress?
Manage your stress – don’t run away from it, or see it as something to be afraid of.
If you can’t change something, change your perception of the thing. Seeing stress as part of life and an opportunity to problem-solve will help reduce its intimidation factor.
Make use of your healthy coping mechanisms.
Exercise, spend time with loved ones, and invest in recreational hobbies. These activities will release “feel-good” hormones and help you power through your challenges, while also providing a good distraction. Doing this can help bring more clarity when we return to the issue that is facing us.
Ask yourself important questions.
In the moment, small challenges can feel bigger than they are. How significant are these stressors in the grand scheme of things? Will they matter in a week, a month, or a year’s time?
Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Over-exerting ourselves in only one aspect of our lives can lead to us over-stressing about that area when it is threatened. Be mindful of finding balance in all corners of your life (e.g. friends, family, career and personal hobbies).
More questions you can ask yourself when you are stressed
Exploring what makes us feel stressed helps provide clarity on how we can manage it as it happens, and how to deal with it better in the future.
- Why am I stressed?
- Am I stressed about this one challenge or are there other things bothering me?
- How is this stress affecting me?
- What is within my control, and what isn’t?
- Am I doing things that will help lessen the stress that I feel?
- Will anything change by worrying about it?
Mind You is on a mission to help 1 million Filipinos overcome stress, anxiety and depression by 2025.
We currently provide organisations with access to preventative therapy sessions with licensed psychologists, as well as data and insights that enable the management teams of our client companies to make informed business decisions. Included in our services are wellness webinars, mental health first aid training and certifications, leadership training and weekly educational campaigns, to round off what is a comprehensive mental health care solution for companies of any size. Soon, it will be launching its services to the general public, where individuals can book sessions with psychologists in a few simple steps.