Managing Stress

Stress affects us all at various points in our lives and can impact on our physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

QUOTE: The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines stress as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. It’s a natural response that prompts us to address issues and challenges in our lives.

Effects of stress

​We all experience stress to some degree and in some situations, it can be useful, for example, in interviews and exams. However, constant stress can cause many mental and physical problems.

There are varying causes of stress – some we can do something about; others we have little control over such as illness, injury, life trauma, bereavement and global events.

Lots of micro-stresses during the day can also add up to make us feel more stressed in general.

Whilst we can all feel stressed at times, it’s important to distinguish a period of acute stress from chronic, ongoing stress. Constant and persistent stress can cause burnout. If you think you are suffering from chronic stress it’s important to speak to someone such as a GP or healthcare professional.

Managing stress

A stressor is an event or situation that causes stress. In the modern world we meet stressors throughout the day. However, there are a number of simple strategies we can use to manage stress and reduce stress levels.

These include:​

• Breathing exercises – are a quick and easy way to manage stress that you can do almost anywhere (try slowly breathing in for 3, holding your breath for 4 and breathing out for 5)
• Exercise/movement – helps to reduce adrenalin and cortisol levels; running or brisk walking is a great way to get in some exercise
• Nutrition – try reducing your intake of caffeine, alcohol, carbonated drinks, sugar and ultra-processed food. This can improve sleep, digestion and mental function, helping to reduce stress levels
• Journaling – getting your thoughts out into the world can make things clearer and give you a greater sense of control. Ask yourself questions – ‘what is the most important thing I can do today to feel joyful/grateful?’ This will help you to see the positive things in your life
• Give someone a hug – whether a human or pet, hugging reduces cortisol and improves immune function
• Mindfulness, mediation and yoga – help us to switch our brains off and completely focus on what we’re doing at the time (you can find lots of free examples online)
• Find a hobby you enjoy – hobbies provide an opportunity to switch off doing something that makes you happy, look for a local class you can join, be it upholstery, cookery, art class, pickleball or going for a walk or a swim
• Spend time in nature – take a walk in the park, on the beach, in the country or take part in an outdoor activity
• Spend time with family and friends – spending time with people you know and love helps to reduce stress
• Get a good night’s sleep – you can find out more about getting a good night’s sleep here

​Further resources and support

• Stress Management: Live Positive – a comprehensive toolkit and supporting resources for individuals and managers to help manage stress
• Mind to Mind – a wide range of information and resources on mental and emotional wellbeing, including ways to recognise and manage stress
• Step on Stress – an online workshop teaching you ways to manage and control stress
• National Wellbeing Hub: Managing Stress – a range of information and resources to help you manage stress
• Fife leisure Fife Sports and Leisure Trust
• Community use schools Community Use Schools | Fife Council