We have now officially entered British Summertime, the first day of Spring has come and gone. Daylight hours are increasing and the gloomy darkness of winter is once again behind us. Yet for some of us, we’re not feeling that much better. Stress and anxiety levels aren’t dropping, quite the reverse. Now it is true that some stress is good for us, but the grinding stresses of modern day life are proving to be very bad for us…
Last year, Britain ranked 5th in the world’s worst stress table. One in five of us in the workplace frequently experience ‘unmanageable stress’, and nearly two thirds of people at work are said to be suffering poor or below average mental well-being. High levels of stress are also not confined to people who work. Recent research showed that Universal Credit (the new welfare benefit) is pushing people into such hardship and anxiety that some have considered suicide. Leading researchers found the new benefit to be ‘complicated, dysfunctional and punitive’, that it was forcing people into debt and rent arrears and was making people increasingly anxious and depressed and worsening existing health problems.
So, in or out of work stress levels in the UK are out of control for many , many adults. And the stress epidemic doesn’t end there. Children and young people are nowadays more stressed and anxious than ever before in history. Exam stress, social media stress, poverty stress and living in a crazily uncertain world are all cited as causes of stress for children and young people. Another recent study showed that out of 1000 18-25 year olds interviewed, money and the lack of it, appearance, jobs and prospects and the future all came out as top reasons for young people feeling seriously stressed and anxious. And one in ten of these people interviewed said they have no-one to turn to to discuss their stress and anxiety.
Mental health services have always been the poor relations in the NHS and despite claims that the Government is now taking mental health more seriously, the facts about funding tell a different story. The Royal College of Psychiatrists compared money sent in 2012 and money spent in 2017 and their findings show there was significantly less money spent on mental health services in 2017.
Things we can do:
– Campaign against cuts to mental health services – Lobby your MP and ask her to oppose cuts to services
– Talk – talk to your employer, teacher, friends and family. We have no problem telling people we have a cold or some other physical illness. Saying we are feeling overwhelmed or stressed or under too much pressure seems to be much more difficult. Yet we all feel like this sometimes. Mental health is at least as important as physical stress – we should all take it seriously and consider it sympathetically.
– Work out what stresses you – is there anything that you can do to reduce some of the stresses? Taking back a bit of control can have a significant impact almost immediately.
– Manage your stress – Maybe your stress cannot be reduced so managing it becomes essential. A mental well-being class. Mindfulness is very popular for a reason – it works for a lot of people. Yoga and meditation may all sound a bit ‘new age’ but don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it. Exercise is also proven time and time again to help manage stress. Walking can have the same positive effect on your mental well-being as working out in the gym or running. Take up walking for 45 minutes to an hour three times a week. Do it with a friend and see how much better you feel in a short space of time.