Dealing with Stress

A person can feel under pressure, anxious, feel tense, sad or angry or a mixture of these feelings.

These feelings are totally normal but if these feelings continue for a long time and become more intense, they can lead to feeling mentally unwell. It’s vital for anyone feeling like this to seek support.

So what sort of things can cause stress? Here are some examples:

• A lot of schoolwork.
• Preparing for exams.
• Bullying.
• Arguments at home.
• Illness in the family.
• Domestic Violence.

Different people cope with stress in different ways – some cope better than others.

Positive things can cause stress too e.g. starting college or going to university.  Some people need a little stress to give them an incentive to achieve things. 

 

The side effects of stress

Again, stress can affect people in different ways. It can affect feelings and it can affect us physically. Here are some examples of how stress can affect the body:

• Tiredness.
• Difficulty sleeping.
• Lack of appetite.
• Stomach ache.
• Headache.
• Pains in the neck and shoulders.

 

How stress can affect how we feel

• It can make someone feel sad.
• It can make someone lose their temper and be irritable.
• A person can have trouble concentrating and focussing upon work.

 

If you experience stress and need ideas about how to cope, here are some strategies:

• Share how you are feeling with someone. It sounds simple and it is! But it works. 
• Write a list for yourself of all the things that cause you stress. For each one, write down what you can do to tackle the problem – it really does help to organise these things in your mind.
• Take a break and make time for something that you enjoy doing.
• Do something relaxing e.g. take a bath or go for a walk. Look for other ideas on the Anna Freud website: https://www.annafreud.org/resources/children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing/self-care/ 
• Exercise – the brain produces endorphins when someone exercises and these make someone feel good!
• Make sure that you get enough good quality sleep and follow a healthy diet. There is a link below for The Sleep Hub with lots of useful information.

 

Help that’s available

Head of Year – they may feel that you need support from a member of staff in the wellbeing room. 

School Nursing Service Helpline   07312 263 262

School Based Counselling Service   01443 866623/866624  schoolcounselling@caerphilly.gov.uk

Childline  0800 1111

Meic  Cymru   080880 23456 

Papyrus  0800 068 41 41

 

Websites (with information on how to cope with stress)

Charlie Waller Trust  https://www.charliewaller.org/ 

Young Minds   https://www.youngminds.org.uk/ 

Meddwl.org   https://meddwl.org/ 

Papyrus  https://www.papyrus-uk.org/ 

Anna Freud  https://www.annafreud.org/ 

Teen Sleep Hub  https://teensleephub.org.uk/ 

 

Other sources of help and support

The Mix   https://www.themix.org.uk/ 

Kooth      https://www.kooth.com/     (Young people can seek support themselves from Kooth)