Managing your stress

Elle Weaver, Head of Wellbeing and Mental Health, has produced a video looking at how our vulnerability to stress can depend on the size of our stress container!

We are all individuals and have different levels of capacity to cope with stressful life events. Depending on what is going on for us, our container will overflow at different points unique to us - there is only so much each of us can cope with. We all have our own limits! Each stressful event fills our container and unless we find ways to empty it, it will overflow.

Having good coping strategies helps us respond more effectively to stressful life events.

Our capacity to bounce back is called resilience. When dealing with stress, emotional resilience is important because it gives us the strength to deal with and overcome difficulties. Resilient people can draw on their strengths and tap into support systems to overcome their challenges. You can build up your own resilience by changing your negative thoughts and behaviours.

Questions to ask:

What is the size of my container?

What stresses me?

How do I release my stress?

Every Mind Matters has produced very useful resources for understanding what stress is and how to cope with it. This information can help you maintain the capacity in your container to keep stressful events in control. They share their top tips for dealing with stress and you can access their resources here

Elle Weaver, Development Manager and Head of Wellbeing & Mental Health