This April, the Stress Management Society has decided that the theme for Stress Awareness Month 2023 is Taking Action. We always advocate for an open dialogue about mental health; this month brings an opportunity to turn good intentions into great actions. Even if you don’t feel up to making big changes yet, we hope to inspire some manageable actions so that you can start to reduce stress, one step at a time.
At Ldn Dares, we help people learn how to be confident in their own skin, learn self-compassion, and nurture a positive body image through the use of drama and dares. Let’s take a look at stress through the lens of body image.
Research shows that stress is associated with “low self-esteem and poor body image” and likewise “poor body image may induce significant stress on an individual” [1]. Many of us might feel that in times of high stress, we start to feel negatively about our body image. Or maybe recurrent negative thoughts about our body image are amounting to high levels of stress. The two are intertwined, so it's important that we recognise where this is happening and take action for the better.
So, what actions can we take to reduce stress?
When we are in a state of stress it can be difficult to regain control and think clearly about which actions to take. Start by drawing your attention back to the sensations in the body, where do you feel any stress or tension? Perhaps it's in your neck or shoulders? Can you gently stretch it out? Or shrug your shoulders up to your ears and then release them back down again?
When the mind starts to spiral, let’s recentre and reconnect to the physical feelings that we can control in that moment. Once you have returned to a calmer mindset, take a look at this list of suggestions for preemptively reducing stress
Tip one - Be active
This doesn’t have to be a sweaty gym workout (unless that's your thing!), but try to find some form of movement that feels good to you. Movement is proven to alleviate stress and release endorphins which make us feel good [2].
Tip two - Connect with others
Spending time with others directs our energy outward (rather than inward) so we can channel our focus away from internal worries and work on being present in the moment [3].
Tip three - Don’t try to change what you cannot control
A lot of unnecessary stress arises when we try so hard to change things which are outside our zone of influence. To reduce stress is to focus on what you can control, accepting and releasing any worry over what you can’t.
Balance giving to others without exhausting your own mental and physical health
‘Taking Action’ might seem overwhelming; the most important thing to take away from this is to look after yourself. Check in with yourself regularly to see what is creating stress and draining your energy. Make sure you have time to yourself to unwind when needed and practice saying no to requests that feel too much for you.
[1] https://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&context=shas_honors
[3] https://www.mentalhelp.net/stress/socialization-and-altruistic-acts-as-stress-relief/
Author Zoe Bush
Ldn Dares Marketing Officer