Stress Management OT Style - The Potential Ability Group (TPAG)

August 30th, 2021Jemma LooyestynEmotions, Nature & Outdoor Play, News & Information, Play & Socialising, Self-Care, Sleep, Teenagers

Stress… we have all experienced it! Throughout our lifetime we are faced with many challenging situations that can cause us to feel stressed. From feeling stressed about ‘that’ test coming up, fitting in with your peers, your job, school, health, finances, or even just looking at that ‘to do’ list that never seems to end. Everyone feels stressed! So please find some comfort in knowing you are not alone. The following blog details what stress is and incudes some strategies that can be applied to anyone across the lifespan.

What is Stress?

Stress is your body’s way of responding to a challenging situation, it can help to prepare your body to face a situation you find difficult. Stress can be a good thing in this way… as when you feel you can cope with a stressor, feeling stressed can help you feel motivated and ready to get the job done. However, stress becomes an issue when you feel like you cannot cope with a stressor, when you seem to always feel stressed (for a long period of time or very frequently) or when your stress is impacting your daily life. For example, making you unable to engage in activities that are meaningful to you.

Some common signs or experiences when feeling stressed include feeling nauseous; finding it hard to concentrate, think, remember things, or make decisions; fatigue; body aches including headaches; finding it hard to ‘switch off’; feeling irritable, sad, angry, nervous, or hopeless. Stress may result in not sleeping or sleeping too much, not eating or eating more than usual, becoming unwell frequently (colds, flu), having panic attacks, appearing ‘moody’ or ‘snappy’, withdrawing from others or activities like social outings, sports, hobbies, school and work.

What Can I Do About It?

Reflect on what the cause of your stress may be, can it be minimised? Do you need help to minimise the stress? Engage in mindfulness activities such as meditation or visualisation. Consider looking into a mindfulness app to help guide you, such as Smiling Mind, Calm, or Insight Timer. These Apps have something suitable for everyone in the family.

Talk to someone about how you are going and provide active listening for your loved one if they are sharing their feelings / needs. Be there for each other. If you do not want to talk about it, consider journaling and drawing pictures to reflect on your day, challenges your facing, how you are feeling and include helpful thoughts. You can complete this as a family or pair and if you feel comfortable share your drawings / words with each other.

Big Life Journal offers great journals to support growth mindset in children and teens or consider making your own journal. Stay socially connected. I know this may be the last thing you want to do when you feel stressed, but calling a friend, having a play date, catching up for a coffee or ‘hanging out’ with someone you love will do you the world of good. As humans we require socialisation to help us maintain our wellbeing.

Other ideas you can try include:

Engage in mindfulness activities such as meditation or visualisation. Consider looking into a mindfulness app to help guide you, such as Smiling Mind, Calm, or Insight Timer. These Apps have something suitable for everyone in the family.
Try something relaxing. Like a massage, drawing / colouring, puzzles, journaling, reading, lighting some candles, having a warm bath, getting out in nature, or listening to music, for example.
Keep up your physical health. This may look like playing sports, walks, going to the gym, trying yoga or stretches or playing on the playground.
Get organised or set out a routine. Write a to do list, sort out your emails, use labels, colour code, tidy your work or play space, use a calendar or diary, have a visual schedule, or use alarms to help with reminders. Ensure to include ‘me time’ within your routine as well.
Deep breathing, use of fidgets, using essential oils like lavender or having a break may assist with calming your body and mind in times of intense or immediate stress.
Use or role model positive self-language or words of encouragement, for example “I am so proud of you for doing X”, or “X was really helpful”, or, “You showed great persistence for X” or “I am really great at X”. Encourage yourself or others to ‘flip’ any negative self-language into more positive or helpful comments to support self- esteem.
Engage in positive sleep hygiene practises, like engaging in a consistent bedtime routine and sleep / wake up times.
Eat a well-balanced diet and drink plenty of water.
Nature, nature, nature!! Getting outside in the fresh air every day will do wonders to your wellbeing. Listen and observe what is going on around you. Enjoy the warmth of the sun on your skin, the feel of grass under your feet or the smell of flowers or rain
Smile and laugh. Enjoy the little things.
Watch a comedy show, laughter is the ‘best medicine’ as they say!
Consider engaging with a health care professional, such as your GP, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Counsellor or OT, to provide ongoing support to manage stress or other mental health challenges.
Check out the many resources on stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges on the following websites or consider calling the following helplines for support or advice; Beyond Blue (1800 010 630), Headspace, Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or the Mental Health Triage team (13 14 65).

Stress is all around us. Everyone throughout some point in their life, will experience stress. So why not learn more about it? Reflect on what is making you feel stressed and try some of the strategies listed above to help you, your child, family member, friend or colleague manage stress and feel more in control of their mental health and wellbeing.

References

Raising Children Network, 2021, ‘Stress in Pre-teens and Teenagers’, available at: https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/mental-health-physical-health/stress-anxiety-depression/stress-in-teens, accessed 15^th of July 2021.

Raising Children Network, 2020, ‘Stress and Stress Management in families with Autistic Children’, available at: https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/communicating-relationships/family-relationships/family-stress-asd, accessed 15^th of July 2021.

Raising Children Network, 2020, ‘Stress and Stress Management: Grown Ups’, available at: https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/first-1000-days/looking-after-yourself/stress-grown-ups, accessed 15^th of July 2021.

Reavley, N; Morgan, A; Jorm, A; Wright, J; Bassilios, B; Hopwood, M; Allen, N and Purcell, R, 2019, ‘Beyond Blue: A Guide to What Works for Anxiety’, available at: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/docs/default-source/resources/484150_0220_bl0762_acc.pdf, accessed 15^th of July 2021.

Big Life Journal 2021, ‘Big Life Journal- Science Based Journals to Raise Confident Kids’, available at: https://biglifejournal.com.au/, accessed 16^th of July 2021.