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April is Stress Awareness Month, and this year the theme is all about taking action.

April is Stress Awareness Month

Spearheaded by the Stress Management Society, Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992 in a bid to raise awareness of the causes, negative effects and effective treatments for stress.

Stress can be defined as the experience of physical, mental or emotional strain or tension. While, it is important to acknowledge that not all stress is bad for you, long-term stress can have a damaging effect on both your physical and mental health.

The Stress Management Society highlights the fact that stress is one of the biggest public health challenges faced by our society.

They explain that stress can cause problems such as depression, anxiety, heart disease, insomnia, digestive issues, immune system challenges and more.

Despite this, many people still do not take the issue of stress seriously enough.

Taking action for stress awareness

Talk about stressThat’s why, this year, the Stress Management Society has decided to move beyond its usual goal of opening up the conversation about stress and its effects to focus on taking action. They want people to go farther than talking and campaigning and, instead, take personal responsibility for creating a positive change.

They say: “We aim to create an opportunity for all of us to consider how we are going to do something to make things better.”

The society will be sharing a variety of free resources and information throughout April to empower and inspire people into action.

30-day Challenge for Stress Awareness

4th November 2020 is National Stress Awareness DayOne initiative launched by the group is ‘The 30-day Challenge.’ This encourages individuals to pick one action to carry out each day for their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

The reasoning behind this campaign is that it takes 30 days to turn actions into habits. It is hoped the 3-day challenge will help people to turn useful knowledge and techniques into positive and lasting behavioural changes that will help them to manage, minimise and prevent stress.

The Stress Management Society offers a number of valuable free resources, including the 30-Day Challenge, a Daily De-Stressing Planner, a Stress Guide, 7 Steps Achievement Plan, useful infographics on stress and other information.

Tackle stress year-round

Other ways in which people are encouraged to take part in Stress Awareness Month, and to help tackle stress year-round, include:

  • Talk about stress and its effects to help reduce the stigma associated with stress and poor mental health
  • Share coping mechanisms you have found useful which may benefit others
  • Be kind to those who are experiencing stress and anxiety
  • Look after yourself – take time to relax or do something you enjoy and try to eat well and remain active even when you are feeling particularly stressed
  • Learn how to say no to requests that are too much for you and will lead to you becoming overwhelmed and unwell

The Stress Management Society also provides a free tool where you can check your stress levels and learn how to reduce your stress in just 7 days.

Mental Health UK also provide advice and guidance about managing your health and wellbeing to help reduce stress levels, with advice relating to work-life balance, alcohol, exercise, body image worries, burnout, sleep and smoking.

Learning and development solutions for tackling stress

Learn ways to manage stressFirst Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food safety, mental health, health and social care and more.

An accredited Mindful Employer themselves, FRT’s specialist mental health training courses include Understanding Mental Health, Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace, Managing Stress, Anxiety and Phobias Awareness, Self-Harm Awareness and Suicide Awareness.

They can also provide qualified, approved trainers to deliver accredited Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training courses, including the Adult, Youth and Lite versions.

A trainer from FRT says:

“While stress is not recognised as a diagnosable mental health condition, it can lead to more serious mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, and can also have physiological effects.

“It’s important to recognise the severity of stress and to learn proactive and positive ways for managing, minimising and preventing stress, both in the workplace and in our personal lives.”

A brief summary of our mental health training can now be downloaded as an infographic.

We also have a number of other free infographics available to download which provide simple tips for helping to manage your mental and emotional wellbeing and proactively manage your stress levels. These include:

You can also download our free Guide to Mental Health Training from our website.

For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.