Wellbeing Monthly: Stress Awareness Month, April 1 – 30

April is Stress Awareness month and healthcare professionals and health promotion experts across the country will join forces to increase awareness about the causes of stress and how to manage it.

England Boxing is supporting this important awareness month by sharing daily tips on ways you can manage day-to-day stress. You can find these tips on our social media channels every day and on the mental health section of our website here.

Below we outline stress in more detail from the Mind website

What is stress?

Stress is how we react when we feel under pressure or threatened. It usually happens when we are in a situation that we don’t feel we can manage or control.

When is stress a problem?

Sometimes, a small amount of stress can help us to complete tasks and feel more energised. But stress can become a problem when it lasts for a long time or is very intense. In some cases, stress can affect our physical and mental health.

You might hear healthcare professionals refer to some types of stress as ‘acute’ or ‘chronic’.

Is stress a mental health problem?

Stress is not normally considered a mental health problem but it is connected to our mental health in several ways:

• Stress can cause mental health problems and it can make existing problems worse. For example, if you experience lots of stress, this might lead you to develop a mental health problem like anxiety or depression. Or a traumatic period of stress might lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Mental health problems can cause stress. You might find coping with the day-to-day symptoms of your mental health problem stressful. You may also feel stressed about managing medication, healthcare appointments or other treatments.
• You might use recreational drugs or alcohol to cope with stress. This could also affect your mental health and cause further stress.

Managing stress

Being prepared for periods of stress can make it easier to get through them and knowing how to manage our wellbeing can help us recover after a stressful event. Some of us may refer to our ability to manage stress as our resilience.

Below are some tips you could try to help you manage stress and build your resilience. Trying these ideas won’t make all the stress in your life disappear but they could make it easier to get through stressful situations.

• Look after your wellbeing – be kind to yourself, take time to relax
• Build your support network – spend time with friends and family
• Identify your triggers – something that worries you often or situations that come up often
• Organise your time – make a list of tasks you need to do or set smaller achievable tasks
• Take action in your community – get involved in Mind campaigns or join a community group

It is important that you seek the correct support. You can find contact details by clicking here.

You can also stay motivated every day by following the below ‘Active April 2023’ chart.

Remember: Be kind, be grateful and take time for yourself.

Book a Box In Mind course here. The course aims to increase awareness of mental health problems within boxing clubs and gyms.