Stress is a usual part of life. We all feel stress when you have too much to do at work, at home, or had too little sleep, or have been ill. Stress affects emotional well-being: we can feel it when we worry about our finances, our job or a loved one’s illness, preparing for an exam, starting a new relationship or when you experience a devastating life event, such as the death of a spouse or the loss of a job. When stress is not addressed, it can affect our life, including your productivity, relationships, education and job performance. In fact, around 4.9 million Australians are affected with stress each day, this impacts each person’s mental health.
So, what is mental health?
World Health Organisation defined Mental as “state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community”
We all go through different levels for stressful situations in our daily life. Our mental health fluctuates between bad mental and good mental (Figure 1). We learn to cope with stressful or tense situations. However, some of us unable to cope and this stress starts to impact the ability to cope, relationships, work and education. This requires us to seek professional help or other supports.
Some of the following suggestions may and assist you, but if your stress is constant, it may require more attention or even lifestyle changes.
Coping with stress
- Talk with your friends, family or co-workers
- Plan your day, and take one thing at a time. Prioritise urgent task and when that’s done, move on to the next.
- Learn to say, “No!” at home or at work
- You are not a super hero. Don’t expect perfection from yourself.
- Visualise to see how you can manage a stressful circumstance at work, at school or home more effectively. Be positive.
- Relax and have five to 10 minutes of reflection time to bring some relief. If you’re having a stressful day at work go for a quick walk or have a 10-minute time out, to clear your mind.
- Exercise daily to help helps your body and mind relax.
- Do something that you enjoy.
- Get adequate rest, eat right, exercise, limit your use of caffeine and alcohol.
- And remember, you can always talk with your general practitioner, when you are unable to cope with your stress.
