What is stress?
Stress is a sense of feeling under pressure. It’s a normal body response when we sense a threat. Some stress can be helpful and can motivate us but too much stress can negatively impact us. For those with sickle cell and similar conditions, stress can impact the experience of pain, so it is important to consider how you look after yourself.
What causes stress?
Stress can be linked to lots of things in our day-to-day life; this might be a change, a situation or event. Some of these things can be positive.
Having a health condition can cause stress due to having to attend the hospital, missing out work or education or thinking about the future.
Other challenges in life can cause stress like work pressure, difficult or sudden life events, financial issues.
How do I know I’m feeling stressed?
- Stress can lead to changes in our feelings and behaviour.
- You might notice feeling more irritable and annoyed. Stress is also linked with feeling more worried and anxious.
- You might struggle getting to sleep and staying asleep.
- You might be quieter and not want to spend time with others.
- Stress might change how much we eat or exercise.
- Changes in habits like smoking or drinking.
- You might notice physical signs like stomach aches, headaches or feeling dizzy and faint.
Tips for looking after yourself
Talking to someone can help when we are feeling stressed. It can help to talk through the problems or challenges that are bothering us and how we are feeling.
Give yourself time to relax; this might be time doing something you enjoy, or listening to music that helps you to relax etc. When we feel stressed, our muscles can become tense. Progressive muscular relaxation is a technique that involves tensing and releasing different muscle groups to help release some of the built up tension.
Exercise can be an effective way to manage and reduce stress. If you’re experiencing pain related to stress, it may be difficult to perform your usual activities. Instead, consider what exercises or tasks might be more manageable for you.
When feeling overwhelmed by a long list of responsibilities, breaking them down into smaller steps and scheduling time for each can help make things more manageable.
Try out some CBT self-help techniques from NHS Every Mind Matters: Online self-help CBT techniques – Every Mind Matters – NHS
If you are concerned about your mental health…
- Contact your healthcare team to explore what support is available
- If you have concerns about risk of harm coming to them due to their mental health, call 111.