Devon Wellbeing Hub share simple steps to manage stress

Posted by Devon Partnership Trust in News, Recovery and wellbeing on 1st November, 2022

Today is Stress Awareness Day, an opportunity to talk about the impact of stress, reduce stigma and promote the importance of wellbeing. 

Feeling stressed and being under pressure is a normal part of life, but becoming overwhelmed by stress can lead to mental health problems or make existing problems worse.

It’s important to try and manage stress before it becomes a problem. At the Devon Wellbeing Hub, we help colleagues who may be feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or struggling with any aspect of their wellbeing.

Colleague Wellbeing Practitioner, Prue Yeoman, tells us why it’s so important to manage stress and shares some of her top tips:  

“I have huge admiration for colleagues working in healthcare, social care and the police and I’m passionate about helping people who give so much. There is evidence to suggest these jobs can be incredibly stressful and people working in these roles are less likely to reach out for support. This can lead to so much personal suffering. I’m proud to be part of a service that works to overcome that.

“I previously worked as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner at a very busy Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service in Manchester. Working in mental health can be stressful and as practitioners we’re no different to anybody else in feeling that stress. My move to Devon has helped me to dial down my own personal stress. I’m fortunate that I’m now able to walk to the beach when things feel too much. Getting out in nature is my number one decompression technique.

“It’s so important to be kind to yourself and show self-compassion when you’re feeling stressed. It’s very easy to be tough on ourselves, particularly in professions where we can feel we have to be perfect, but we are all human. It’s important to address self-criticism and self-doubt as this just adds to our stress. I try to catch my internal dialogue when I say “I should” or “I ought.” Instead, I’ll try swapping it for a three step self-compassion approach:

1. Step back for a second and acknowledge I’m struggling right now – this is tough
2. Know that suffering is part of being human – I’m not alone
3. Ask, how can I be kind to myself? What can I say to myself that is kind and gentle? What can I do to support myself right now?

“I recommend checking out the queen of self-compassion – Dr Kirsten Neff.

“Listening to short audio relaxation techniques is a great way to relieve stress and gain a sense of wellbeing. The Progressive Muscle Relaxation focuses on the build-up of physical tension and gets me out of any over-thinking.

“I also find occasionally checking in with ‘The Stress Bucket’ is helpful. It’s a well-known and useful way of looking at the build-up of stress and thinking about what might reduce it.

“Finally, cuddling a cat or dog (mine or someone else’s, I’m not fussy!) always works for me.”

Get in touch

Getting support from the Devon Wellbeing Hub is simple. If you work in healthcare, social care or the police and are struggling with any aspect of your wellbeing, or you lead a team who would benefit from support, the Hub can help you today.

Please get in touch by emailing dpt.devonwellbeing@nhs.net or by calling 0300 303 5455. You can also fill out the simple referral form on the Devon Wellbeing Hub website.