Stress Relief Tips

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

2021 has already started with its own challenges, both mental and financial, causing undue stress for many of us. So we’ve compiled a list of stress relief tips to help make this situation more manageable.

Stress Relief Tips

When times get tough, your finances and mental health can suffer and lead to stress - and unfortunately, 2021 has already started off with its own challenges, causing undue stress for many.

So to help with this, we decided to put together a list of stress relief tips that you can use to reduce your stress levels and improve your circumstances.

Tip one: Recognise when you are stressed

When you feel stressed, it can then even affect everything you do and get in the way of sorting out your problems. However, it can be hard to recognise when you’re stressed, so here are some common indicators:

• Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody
• Feeling overwhelmed, like you are losing control or need to take control
• Having difficulty relaxing and quieting your mind
• Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless, and depressed
• Avoiding others

There are also physical symptoms of stress you can look out for:

• Low energy
• Headaches
• Aches, pains and tense muscles
• Chest pain and quick heartbeat

Tip Two: Start getting active

One of the most common stress relievers is exercise - it may not fix everything straight away, but getting fit and active can help clear your thoughts and some of the stress and emotional intensity you’re feeling.

As gyms are currently closed, and many people don’t have easy access to running/walking routes, home workouts can be an easy way to start getting active.

The NHS has provided easy 10 minute home workouts you can do from the comfort of your living room - give them a try!

Tip Three: Connect and talk with people

Having a good support network of friends and family can ease your work troubles and help ease your mind - they can also help you see things from a different perspective. While lockdown has forced us to use technology to communicate with our loved ones, we can still use Zoom, FaceTime, and other online methods to chat.

Studies have shown that talking about our problems and sharing our negative emotions with someone we trust can relieve stress and reduce physical and emotional distress. Here’s an article explaining why speaking about our issues with others does wonders.

Tip Four: Avoid unhealthy behaviours and habits

You don’t have to rely on habits such as drinking alcohol, smoking, or other bad vices - in the long term, these crutches won't help solve your problems. They may feel good, but they can add to your problems. Also, cutting back on caffeine can help, as caffeine can make you jittery and anxious.

You can also try to improve your diet if that’s becoming a problem. Introducing a balanced diet can reduce stress - this article from BBC Good Food explains the relationship between stress and diet.

Tip Five: Learn to avoid procrastination

Stay on top of your priorities and stop procrastinating - creating a schedule of things you need to achieve in a day or week can help you stay on track. This is particularly useful if you have more time to spend at home due to the lockdown, creating a schedule can give you much more time to enjoy some self-care and make improvements to yourself and your home.

Procrastination can lead you to act reactively, leaving you panicking to catch up, which leads to stress. Create a to-do list and stick to it by giving yourself realistic deadlines to complete tasks.

How Leeds Credit Union can help

Leeds Credit Union can also help during this difficult time in many different ways. We provide straightforward, affordable and hassle-free financial services for anyone who lives or works in Leeds, Wakefield, Harrogate, Craven, and residents of certain housing associations.

Become a member today - take a look here. You may also want to ease your financial stress - and in turn help reduce your overall stress levels - by getting a loan to help you pay for essentials or any unexpected expenses caused by the pandemic. However, you should look for loans with lower interest rates like the different options we have at Leeds Credit Union.