Wednesday 04-11-2020 - 10:18

Hey everyone, Cal here.

As we all know, stress can come in all shapes and sizes. The stress that we can experience from leaving our favourite snacks in the oven for a little too long is worlds apart from realising you have an assignment due in the next four hours with NO progress made.

We have all been there, right? I think the biggest thing to take away from these scenarios is that some level of stress is ever-present in our lives, and with yet another government lockdown looming, dealing with our individual stresses in a healthy way is super-duper important. In this article I am going to share some ways that I have dealt with my stresses in the past and how I deal with stress now.

 

Be Kind to Yourself

For me, not beating myself up is the most important thing to do to stay not get stressed.

I think I am entirely too hard on myself, and that has always been the case. I will subconsciously compare myself to others and where I am in my life in relation to them. This is not a good thing and can often lead to overthinking and self-doubt, which can often end up in me getting stressed, which again is not good.

 So, my advice, as trite as it may be, is go easy on yourself. You are your own person, and you need to take breaks to check in on yourself. That can be practising selfcare, reading, and getting out and going for a walk. It is imperative that you take these breaks.

 

A Word From Our VP Activities, Ellie Pither

Our magnificent VP of Activities, Ellie Pither, has also contributed to this blog with their own story of stress and how to manage said stress.

“I’d like to share my experiences with stress to raise awareness, particularly around the saying ‘you never know what is going on behind closed doors.’

“In the past, many people have told me how happy I look, which on most days I am. However sometimes that happiness covers my stress.

“To describe myself as a ‘stress head’ would be an understatement. Any little thing that could go wrong, I will stress about. If something is not done straight away, I stress. If someone has the smallest change in tone when they talk to me, I stress that I have upset them. Sometimes the stress is miniscule, however other times the stress builds and I end up feeling sick and tired and snappy.

“The purpose of me telling you how stress affects me is to help people like me who feel the same, and for people to understand that you are not alone. Sometimes I feel stupid and I beat myself up about how stressed I get about things, but other times I think this is all for a purpose. I stress about things maybe a little too much because I care and if any of you feel the same that means you are human!

“Everyone goes through stress no matter how big or how little, we just have to understand it as a reasonable rection and respect each other’s coping mechanism. For myself, a great stress reliever is reading or Yoga. They cleanse the mind and relax the body.

“But there are so many ways that you can relieve stress from the mind and body, you just have to find the right one for you!”

 

And here’s your VP Academic Representation, Molly Smallwood

We also have the amazing VP Academics Molly Smallwood to chip in!

“As Cal said stress can come in all shapes and sizes, and as someone with Non-Epileptic Attack Syndrome it presents very physically for me. This last year has been especially tough for everyone, and stress should not be something you feel guilty about (trust me, it will just lead to more stress which is not a healthy cycle). 

 

“With my disability I have learnt many ways of how to deal when things seem to get too much, especially when it comes to your work and managing expectations from yourself. For example, if you have got multiple deadlines coming up and are feeling overwhelmed the best thing to do is take it a bit at a time.

 

“Focus on one, and a good tip that I always used was set milestones. So, for every five hundred words I would have a treat and a break set up! Whether it was an episode of something on Netflix, a nice bubble bath or half an hour on my favourite game I made sure it was something that would motivate me.

 

“This not only keeps you at a constant level for your work, but it was a lifesaver for me at relieving the stress. And if you are not stressed about deadlines currently and just the state of things going on, schedule stress relieving activities into your days, making sure that at least once a day you’re really taking time to focus on yourself and relax!

 

“Finally, if you are really struggling remember you can always reach out for help. Whether it is your GP or the EHU Wellbeing Team, they can help when it comes to stress related problems. Stress can present as physical symptoms, and there is no shame in getting support for these, you are valid!

 

 

Here at Edge Hill Students’ Union, our Let’s T.A.L.K campaign aims to open up discussion about mental health on campus, and to signpost the support you can seek while you are an Edge Hill student.

If you need support, visit our Let’s T.A.L.K webpage, or directly contact the EHU Wellbeing Team and EHSU Advice Centre.