International Stress Awareness Week

"This International Stress Awareness Week is a fantastic opportunity to think about the effects of stress, physically and mentally, as well as how we can manage feelings of stress. Millions around the UK experience stress and it is damaging to our health and wellbeing. For example, the Mental Health Foundation reported that at some point in the last year, 74% of us have felt so stressed that we have felt unable to cope.

"As a youth counsellor, I often meet with my clients when they are in a state of distress. My young clients are often stressed for a number of reasons including school pressures, friendships and difficult feelings surrounding their identity to name a few.

"We often talk about ways of managing these stressors. Some ways of managing stress could include…

- Reading a book
- Watching your favourite TV show or movie
- Going for a walk
- Saying no to things
- Listening to music
- Engaging in a hobby
- Catching-up with friends

"Increasingly, I hear my clients talk about the effects of the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis on their lives. It seems important now, more than ever, that we are aware of how stress affects us, and how to manage this as best we can."

Jessica Russell, Counselling Project Lead for Young People.

To find out more about our mental health service visit our services directory.