We all have mental health and we all feel stress from time to time, some of us more than others. We are all different and have diverse experiences with life, which means we all have varying comfort zones. Sometimes a little stress and being out of our comfort zone can be good for us as it challenges us and sometimes we can achieve things when this happens.
However if we go way out of our comfort zone it can lead to us being overwhelmed. Check out the stress container model below. We all have a stress container, which is our comfort zone. Stress comes in and sometimes the container can overflow. The best thing we can do is to have a tap that we can turn on to relieve the stress. This tap is our coping strategy (resilience) which is very important to have positive mental health.
Sometimes we ignore the things we like doing like going to the cinema, going for a nice coffee with a mate or doing some exercise etc. For National Stress Awareness Day (Wednesday 7 November 2018) and beyond, try and work on self-help strategies, things you enjoy doing.
Below is a list from Healthy NTU of other useful tips for a healthy NTYou:
- NTU self help podcasts
- The Headspace app (you get 10 free sessions)
- Follow Action for Happiness’s 10 keys to happiness
- It’s good to chat about how you feel either to a mate, family member or Samaritans. No one should ever suffer in silence
- Student Minds has some great advice on how to look after yourself. You can also come along to their Positive Minds workshops
- Remember to look out for your mates too, the small things can make a big difference
- If in doubt, ask twice
Healthy NTU 