April is Stress Awareness Month – help for these stressful times

April is Stress Awareness Month and it comes at a time when we all may be feeling more stressed than usual.

As the world struggles to cope with our ‘new normal’, of social distancing and isolation, restricted movement, home-schooling, cancelled exams, pandemic-related unemployment and everything else, many of us are living in the grip of stress.

We may be stressed due to the fear of catching coronavirus on our grocery run, or reeling from losing out financially due to lost employment, feeling the separation from family and friends acutely, and some of us may be fearing for a loved one struck down by Covid-19. Even the lack of a daily routine will cause stress enough for many people.

Stress affects us in myriad ways and can result in irritability, mood swings, affect our appetites and can cause insomnia and disrupted sleep patterns and lead to uncomfortably tense bodies and tension headaches, plus many more.

In situations like these unprecedented times of uncertainty – with frightening news headlines – it could be easy to turn to coping mechanisms like abusing alcohol or other similar unhealthy means.

However, our dedicated teams from AMH MensSana have been busy curating the best advice available to help you through this difficult period, on dealing with stress, anxiety and social distancing, while AMH Works offers tips on getting the best out of working from home. We have also collated tips on encouraging a positive outlook throughout the pandemic, from embracing The Five Ways to Well-Being, talking to children about the global situation, and even specific advice, from AMH everyBODY, on helping people with eating disorders cope with the day to day upheaval of life in our current circumstances.

For our full list of helpful tips and advice visit: https://www.amh.org.uk/coronavirus/

You can read more on stress, how to recognise it and sources of support on:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/understanding-stress/

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