There are many things you can do to build resilience and armour yourself against pressure leading to unhealthy stress. Here are Pharmacist Support’s five top tips:

 

1. Prioritise and manage your time

 

If you are feeling overwhelmed and cannot see a solution, try listing all the things you need to do and then prioritise them. Is there anything you can remove from the list or delegate?

 

2. Find time to exercise

 

Physical activity helps to disperse the adrenalin and cortisol produced during stressful times. It can also free your mind to reflect on what has been causing the stress and help to gain some perspective on the situation.

 

3. Ensure a healthy diet

 

Eating a healthy diet is something that is often neglected during periods of stress. Some people find they eat more and are tempted to reach for sugary and fatty snacks as a source of comfort, while others struggle to eat at all. Try to eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet and reduce your consumption of stimulants like alcohol, caffeine, nicotine or sugar which add to stress rather than relieving it.

 

4. Do what makes you feel good

Often when we are feeling stressed we can stop doing anything pleasurable, saving our energies for tackling the current situation. Write a list of what makes you feel happy and focus on doing some of those things

 

5. Stay on top of sleep

 

One of the most common side effects of stress is disturbed sleep. Try some simple relaxation exercises before bed; turn off all technology an hour before sleep and don’t go to bed until you feel tired. Counting the hours you have available to sleep is a common contributor to insomnia so try to take a relaxed attitude to sleep and not worry about how long you are sleeping for.

For further information visit www.pharmacistsupport.org or contact us on 0808 168 2233, [email protected]