Mood, stress and anxiety

Did you know that over 12.5 million working days are lost on a yearly basis due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety? Having a low mood and suffering from anxiety can all be signs that you have stress. Stress isn’t something that you can avoid entirely, so let’s have a look at the signs and causes of stress, and our best tips to deal with stress.

What is stress?

Stress is defined as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demands placed on them. It is the body’s natural response to a demanding situation”. We all need a bit of pressure to get us going, but an overflow of this can result in feeling stressed. Being under a lot of stress has a significant impact on your behaviour, and you might even be physically affected.

What causes stress?

There are many things in life that can cause you to feel stressed out. This can be caused by working in a high-pressured environment for example, but also by having too many responsibilities which can make you feel overwhelmed. Most of the situations that cause stress are difficult to avoid, like dealing with an illness or experiencing difficulties at work. Not only do difficult situations cause stress, happy events like weddings can also cause for a lot of pressure due to the big changes that are accompanied by them.

Dealing with pressure — what can I do?

Around 85% of all adults in the UK deal with stress on a daily basis, and we have compiled some tips that can help you relieve some of the pressure.

Get moving.

Not only does exercising increase your overall wellbeing, it also has major benefits for your mental health. By being physically active, endorphins are produced and the ability to sleep is improved. This combination reduces stress, as your body will feel naturally better. Yoga can be a massive help in relaxing the body, and also in releasing emotional energy that you have bottled up.

Do what makes you happy.

We can all get a bit overwhelmed by the pressure of money, work and health concerns, which is why you need set a bit of time aside to focus on the things that make you happy. Listening to the right music for example, might lower your blood pressure, and consequently relaxes your body. Additionally, putting your phone away and reading a book can also put you in a more relaxed state of mind.

Meditate.

By practicing meditation for as little as 10 minutes a day, it gives us the space to figure out which tasks are essential and which are less important. Not only is meditating on the regular great to for realizing what causes you to stress, it’s also a useful technique if you feel like stressful thoughts are building into a big reaction.

Eat healthy.

Make sure you eat healthy, well-balanced meals to nourish your body. In addition to a healthy diet, you can take supplements that have been traditionally used to relief symptoms of stress and anxiety. KarmaMood and RelaxHerb for example, relieve the symptoms of slightly low mood and symptoms associated with stress respectively.