From Thursday 5^th November 2020 the UK will be entering a second lockdown. Currently, the number of adults experiencing some form of depression during the pandemic has almost doubled from before, going from 9.7% to 19.2%. Proving how much of an impact the pandemic is having on people’s mental health. With 74% of people admitting to being so stressed they can’t cope; it is easy to see how important it is to raise awareness. Especially with the added pressures of the current Covid-19 pandemic, it has never been more important to highlight stress and other mental health problems, and help people suffering.

Everyone experiences stress in different ways, and stress can affect you both emotionally and physically.

Some emotional symptoms are:

• Irritable, aggressive, or wound up
• Over-burdened
• Anxious, nervous, or afraid
• Depressed
• Uninterested in life

Some behavioural symptoms are:

• Biting your nails
• Picking at your skin
• Unable to concentrate
• Over/under eating

Some more physical symptoms are:

• Hyperventilating
• Panic attacks
• Muscle tension
• Sleep problems
• Headaches

This is not an exclusive list, there are many different ways in which stress can affect us, what’s important is to recognise the signs, as well as the causes of your increased stress levels. If you are aware of what is causing your increased stress, this makes it easier to deal with. However, it may not be as simple as that, and it may also be a combination of factors that contribute to your increased stress levels. Try to identify the most prominent issues in your lifestyle and reduce/eliminate them. The more you try to identify your triggers, the easier it will be to deal with it. Another way to deal with stress is to organise your time, making time to prioritise important tasks. Managing what you need to do, as well as making smaller, more achievable goals will help you to relieve some of the pressure. And finally, it is important to accept that some things are out of your control. It’s not easy, but once you realise that things are happening to you that you most likely can’t do anything about, it will help you to focus on the stuff that is more productive for you personally. In the current pandemic, this may seem more difficult to do, as there are more risks in our everyday lives. However, it is important to realise that it is nothing that you can change instantly. As long as you follow government guidance and follow social distancing measures then you are doing all you can to help. If you would like any further support, The International Stress Management Association has a multitude of information, support, and events to help you. They are currently running a stress and wellbeing summit this week to further support people suffering from stress. On top of this help, we also offer support – offering mental health life insurance for mental health sufferers.