Simple steps to reduce your stress.

For over a year all we have heard about on the news and social media is about COVID19.

Life still is far from normal, even with the UK having an impressive vaccination program. People are still shielding, the lockdown of non-essential shops and the balance of home and working life is very much a daily grind.

This disruption seems to be something that we have all have had to learn to deal with, however, for most of us, it’s fair to say that we’re suffering from COVID fatigue or COVID burnout!

This is especially true for many people that are now working from home or furloughed. There is a massive blur between home life and work. Days, weeks and months seem to merge into one and with no end in sight its causing many to feel isolated and under massive amounts of pressure.

In fact, Mind (the mental health charity) have taken to social media encouraging you to #SpeakYourMind to reach out to someone who needs a friend with a positive message or share with them your own tips for coping to make sure they don’t have to face things alone at the moment.

If this approach isn’t for you then there are plenty of things that you can do yourself to help you combat being stressed and reduce anxiety levels.

5 signs that you’re suffering from COVID fatigue.

From the latest Google data, the fatigue and burnout symptoms of the UK working population increased by 24% in 2020, although the latest data isn’t in for 2021, it’s been predicted by many experts that the beginning or the year will be the peak of these feelings!

It’s also be confirmed that for many workers, even with lockdown gradually being lifted and life returning slowly back to normal that many will be suffering from high-stress levels for a very long time.

There are some signs that may illustrate whether you yourself are suffering from COVID fatigue, which includes:

• Feeling like you’re a failure with everything you do
• Taking everything personally and reacting in a different way than you normally would.
• The feeling like you’re constantly exhausted.
• Unable to concentrate on simple tasks and getting irritable very easily.
• Being unkind to others or being sharp with your responses

Even if you’re not feeling or seeing any of these signs, keeping a check on your mental health and stress levels is something that we all should also do.

There are some simple things that you can do daily to help you keep your stress levels down to fight off the dreaded COVID burnout!

Keep organised

Even if you’re a naturally disorganised type of person, try planning ahead to stay organised can greatly decrease your stress levels.

Being organised with your time means less rushing about and jumping from one thing to another.

Plan your day around your other commitments. If you must help with homeschooling for example, then plan this time into your diary. Knowing that you may be less productive in that period means that you can work on less complex tasks.

Also, make a list of tasks that you need to complete that day and tick them off as you finish them.

Keeping yourself organised can also mean avoiding the negative effects of clutter and being more efficient with your work.

Staying connected

The contact we have with others in normal situations such as with our colleagues, friends and business partners helps us feel connected and valued.

Maintaining connectivity with others helps us boost our positive emotions and lessens the feelings of being alone.

Not being able to have the usual office environment around, the odd coffee break with a colleague, popping out for lunch or simply being able to have a quick work chat in the corridor is probably not possible for most of us at the moment. But that’s not to say that we can’t use technology to feel connected.

Using digital platforms, video conferencing, telephone calls or social media can help you feel like you’re not on your own and a productive team member.

Breathe

It may sound simple but if you’re feeling stressed, take a moment. A few minutes of deep breathing has been shown to restore balance and help you put things in perspective.

Simply inhale for five seconds, hold for a second or two and then exhale through your nose.

Concentrate on your breathing whilst you’re doing this will help relax and calm you down.

Sleep well to lighten your stress levels

Making sure that you sleep well is one of the best things that you can do to combat stress.

By not getting enough sleep you will probably find that you can’t focus that well, simple tasks that you must perform are ever so much harder to achieve.

When you head off to bed in the evenings make sure that you follow a few simple steps to get the best nights sleep you can.

• Reduce caffeine intake in the day. Also don’t drink a lot of other liquids right before bed so you’re not nipping to the loo every 5 minutes
• Try to go to sleep at the same time each evening and develop a sleep pattern.
• Drinking alcohol can negatively affect your hormones and lead to a less restful sleep.
• Try and ensure that your bedroom is cool when you go to bed, warm environments have been shown to reduce the quality of sleep.
• Disconnect from devices. Don’t sit in bed browsing through social media or watching YouTube as it will stimulate your brain which is the opposite of what you want to do.

Exercise

When you exercise it increases the amount of oxygen in your body and improves blood flow. Both factors have a direct effect on the brain.

Not only that but when you exercise for a period your body produces endorphins or ‘feel good’ chemicals which improve your focus and lift your mood.

If you are working from home, try and exercise outside or in a different environment. The change of scenery will help your mental state.

Even a brisk walk has been proven to help you relax and feel calmer.

Summary

Mental health and feeling stressed is something that you should take seriously. Left unchecked it is something that can become worse over time and the impact your overall health.

There are plenty of online resources and help guides to manage stress such as on the Mind website.