November the 2nd to November the 6th is International Stress Awareness Week – a yearly event put together by the Stress Management Association which is designed to raise awareness about stress, and the different coping strategies which people can use to better manage their stress so that they can improve their overall mental health.
What is stress?
We all know what it’s like to feel stressed, but it’s not easy to pin down exactly what stress means. When we say things like “this is stressful” or “I’m stressed”, we might be talking about:
• Situations or events that put pressure on us – for example, times where we have lots to do and think about, or don’t have much control over what happens.
• Our reaction to being placed under pressure – the feelings we get when we have demands placed on us that we find difficult to cope with.
“It’s overwhelming. Sometimes you can’t see beyond the thick fog of stress.”
There’s no medical definition of stress, and health care professionals often disagree over whether stress is the cause of problems or the result of them. This can make it difficult for you to work out what causes your feelings of stress, or how to deal with them.
(Read more in Mind’s guide to stress)
We wanted to encourage better awareness of Stress by putting together some resources which you can share to mark International Stress Awareness Week. You can download these resources below.
Stress Poster – A4 – Landscape – PDF
Stress Poster – A4 – Landscape – JPEG
Stress Poster – A4 – Portrait – PDF
Stress Poster – A4 – Portrait – JPEG
If you are struggling to access any of these files, then please e-mail community@mmkmind.org.uk and we can send them to you.