The importance of
managing stress
Juggling multiple roles and responsibilities are part and parcel of adult life. This often brings about challenges with stressors and can be overwhelming over time, unless managed properly.
It is important that we prioritise our own well-being and learn to manage our stress, so we’re ready for the challenges ahead and we would then be able to better care for the people around us.
Why do we feel stressed?
Stress is a common word that we hear often. We all seem to know what it’s like to feel stressed but what exactly does it mean?
Stress is a normal response to everyday pressures. Daily needs and demands such as responsibilities, decisions, relationships, and money can cause stress.
Stressors trigger the release of two types of hormones in the body — adrenaline and cortisol.
Adrenaline
Adrenaline is a fight-or-flight hormone. It causes an increase in heart rate, breathing and blood sugar levels. It also diverts blood flow from our digestive system to our muscles.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a stress hormone, triggered when we feel threatened. It directs energy from other parts of the body to the brain to deal with the threat. After the danger has passed, cortisol levels should decrease and return to a normal state.
However, if we are under constant stress, excessive cortisol could lead to health problems such as rapid weight gain, high blood pressure, etc.
Fight, Flight or Freeze:
The three natural coping responses
Fight
Fight is a response to literally fight the real or perceived danger.Flight
This means we are preparing to run away from the stressor.Freeze
This means being unable to respond in the presence of the stressor.Common causes include:
Personal
- Relationships
- Death of loved ones
- Relocation
- Marriage
- Pregnancy
- Divorce
- Uncertainties about the future
- Increased responsibilities
Financial
- Loss of income
- Debt
Environmental triggers
- Excessive noise
- Traffic jams
- Time pressure
- Stress faced by people around us
Work & studies
- Unemployment
- New job
- Challenges at work/studies, e.g. not being able to meet deadlines
- Performance pressure
- Lack of work-life harmony
- Competition at work/studies
- Exams and assignments
Health & safety
- Illness
- Health of family members
- Epidemics
- Accidents
- Injury
stress, or eustress, helps us to cope with
challenging but important life events.
Is stress good?
Is stress bad?
stressful conditions for long periods of
time. It may harm our health, our
relationships, and our enjoyment of life.
Is stress good?
stress, or eustress, helps us to cope with
challenging but important life events.
Is stress bad?
stressful conditions for long periods of
time. It may harm our health, our
relationships, and our enjoyment of life.
How does prolonged stress affect us?
Prolonged stress exposes our body constantly to the effects of adrenaline or cortisol and may lead to health problems:
What is burnout?
Burnout is a state where we feel emotionally, physically, and mentally drained. This is caused by excessive and prolonged stress.
When we experience burnout, we may feel overwhelmingly exhausted. A sense of dread about work might loom over us, making us feel withdrawn or detached from our commitments and the people around us.
We might also find ourselves feeling less productive or competent.
Some common signs and symptoms of burnout:
Burnout can lead to:
Tips on minimising burnout
One effective way to minimise burnout is to have work-life harmony, which is about being able to achieve both our work and personal goals.
Work-life harmony is not about balancing work and life equally. Instead, it is about recognising that our priorities may vary at different stages of our lives. Our work and life are interdependent and increasingly intertwined.
Work-life harmony has three components. They are:
Where we feel cohesive and aligned
Which reinforces our overarching values
Which give us a sense of contentment
When we have work-life harmony, we are likely to be more engaged at work. We'll also feel happier with our family and friends, improving our mental well-being.
Here are some ways to achieve work-life harmony:
Disconnect from work
after working hours
Some of us might have the tendency to stay logged on to our work devices after working hours. However…
READ MOREMake time to rest
Rest is an important part of our lives. When we give ourselves time to rest, we can recharge and be ready for the challenges…
READ MOREHow to manage stress and burnout
Since it is not entirely possible to cut out all forms of stress from our lives, it is all the more important - and realistic - that we learn how to cope with it. We have the power to keep our stress under control! Discover stress-busting powers to manage stress and burnout.
Stress-busting powers
Stress self-assessment
tool
Stress is a normal response to everyday pressures.
The Stress subscale is a set of 7 questions adapted from the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) that those aged 14 and above can use to assess their reactions to stress levels and ability to relax.
Please note this is a self-assessment and not a medical diagnosis.
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Mental health services
Belle, Beyond the Label helpbot, is an interactive platform for users to find mental health resources and services in a private and convenient manner. If you or anyone you know is overwhelmed with stress or anxiety, you may find the help you need via Belle.
Get access to Belle
You may also visit here for more mental health resources or download the list of community mental health services including your nearest GP here.
