stress awareness month
April 2024
This years theme, ‘Little by little’, highlights the importance and impact of positive actions on our wellbeing. Click here to read more from the Stress Management Society.
What's it all about?
The theme #LittleByLittle highlights the transformative impact of consistent, small positive actions on over-all wellbeing. For Stress Awareness Month 2024 there is an emphasis on how even the smallest steps taken each day towards self-care and stress reduction can yield significant improvements in mental health over time.
We encourage you to focus on making manageable adjustments to your daily routine. While the impact of small actions on their own may seem little, the cumulative effects of these habits can end up being profound!
try this
Try some of these instant stress busters which may help with some of those physical feelings of stress!
think on this
When we are in stressful situations, our body releases hormones that trigger a ‘fight or flight’ response. This response is designed to protect us but this can make us feel uncomfortable physically (e.g., shaky, sweaty, butterflies in our stomachs)
take into account
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another”
Check out this relaxation playlist while you read.
your 'stress bucket'
The bucket represents you. The
water that goes in the bucket
represents any stress in your life.
Some things cause a small
amount of stress like being late
for school one day which only fill up the bucket a little bit. Some things cause lots of stress like exams, these things fill up the bucket more.
We can stop our buckets from overflowing by looking after our mental and physical health. We can use the ‘self-care tap’ to let water (stress) out and reduce pressure. Check out the video to learn more about the stress bucket and how to stop it from overflowing!
How does exam stress affect our mental health?
Exam time is coming up... Whether it be SATS, GCSEs, A Levels or end of year exams, how are you feeling? Being worried and nervous about exams is normal, and you're not alone! Feeling worried and nervous for long periods of time can have negative effects on our wellbeing, our sleep and eating habits.
Click on the video to find out why exams can make us feel the way we do. Understanding this allows us to make changes to help us to feel better and make exams work for us.
have a go!
walk the dog for 30 mins
As well as an exam revision timetable make sure you have a wellbeing checklist alongside it. Schedule some feel good activities to do each day.
Here are some ideas:
facetime my friend
have a warm bath
listen to my favourite playlist
exam stress tips
- Let your friends and family
know if you are struggling.
- Ask for help from your teachers.
- Try to find a study group or
start your own.
- Be kind to yourself.
- Focus on you and don’t compare yourself to others.
- Keep it in perspective.
Watch Greg James' BBC Bitesize video about 'the fear' for more practical exam stress tips.
‘What success really looks like is a lot of ups and downs, as opposed to the straight line we all imagine. Without failure we cannot grow, and without failure there is no success.’ Ulfa, Activist.
Did you know?
Click on the article above to find out about the celebrities, entrepreneurs and astronauts that didn't get the results you would have expected.
info for parents and carers
It can be hard to know how to support your child during exam time. Click on the youngminds weblink below for for their parent guide on helping your child during exam time.
- Have .................