MANAGING STRESS
What is stress?
Is it normal to feel stress?
Stress is not always bad- in fact, sometimes it’s a good thing!
When we are trying to become stronger, we can lift a weight, placing the muscle under stress, and it grows stronger. However, if we lift too much weight too quickly, then the muscle may tear leading to damage.
Psychological stress is very similar- it's all about finding a balance. Whilst a good amount of stress is important in growth and often allows us to perform at our best, too much stress can sometimes be a bad thing too.
How do we manage stress?
Regular exercise
When we exercise, endorphins can be released, which improves our overall mood and stress hormones circulating in our blood are reduced.
Scheduling regular exercise into your day is an important step in looking after our wellbeing.
Getting good sleep
When we are of a school age, it is important that we get around 9 hours of sleep each night. Sleep is crucial in refreshing and restoring our body, but also is important in the consolidation of memory, boosting our learning.
Sometimes we might struggle to get to sleep. Try some of these tips to help you sleep better:
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Try and disconnect from screens at least 1 hour before bed
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Take time to relax before bed. This could be reading, listening to music, or even trying some meditation or breathing exercises (see below)
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Keep your phone away from your bed, and on silent.
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Avoid drinking coffee late in the day.
Meditation\
Meditation and mindfulness are ancient practices that have long been used to calm and focus the mind. Increasingly, scientific research is showing us the regular mediation and mindfulness practice improve concentration and focus, and reduce anxiety, anger and other negative emotions.
Meditation and mindfulness practice involve focusing on the breath and bringing our thoughts and awareness to the present moment. Below are some meditations to try.
Clinical psychologist Laura Kampel (Black Dog Institute) has a soothing South African accent and presents a meditation that uses belly breathing to calm and focus the mind.
Goodful’s 10 Minute Meditation for Anxiety, does what it says on the box! Try this one whenever you are feeling overwhelmed by anxiety and notice how much better you feel afterwards.
Smiling Mind have a great meditation for you to try to calm your mind. Especially helpful to listen to if you are having trouble sleeping.