Stress is a part of life and something we all experience. We understand that searching for employment can heighten feelings of stress, whether you are writing your CV, applying for jobs, or preparing for interviews.
When you feel stressed, it’s important to address it rather than let it fester and grow into something uncontrollable. If you don’t address it, it can lead to health problems such as frequent headaches, high blood pressure, and depression.
Dealing with your stress won’t always make it go away, but it will help calm you down, clear your mind, and make you think more rationally about your next steps.
These are just 5 ways that can help you deal with stress.
1) Prioritise your tasks
When you are stressed, it can feel like you are drowning in tasks that need to be completed. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed and being counterproductive and may cause you to procrastinate rather than completing your tasks. When you feel like this, write a list of your tasks and prioritise them from most to least urgent. The tasks that you put at the top of your list are the ones that you should prioritise, and the tasks closer to the bottom are less essential to worry about. This will help prevent you from procrastinating and help you to assign your time more efficiently.
2) Take some time for yourself
Self-care is essential in maintaining positive mental health. Taking a few minutes every day to do an activity that you enjoy can boost your mood and limit feelings of stress. When we are stressed, we often forget to prioritise ourselves. Take some time every day to step away from overwhelming tasks and situations and enjoy some time to yourself doing something that makes you happy.
3) Stay active
Positive mental and physical health is essential in maintaining a balanced lifestyle. Staying active can help keep you fit and healthy, as well as reducing feelings of stress. When we are active, be that going to the gym, for a walk, or on a bike ride, our body releases endorphins which trigger feelings of happiness. This helps relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve your sense of wellbeing.
You should aim to do some form of exercise for at least 30 minutes a day to improve both your physical and mental health.
4) Reach out
Stress can be difficult to navigate, and it can make us retreat inside ourselves until we feel isolated and alone. It is vital that if you ever feel like that, you reach out and talk to someone. Talking won’t get rid of your stress, but it may lighten the load. You can reach out to a trusted friend or family member or call a free support helpline. It doesn’t matter who you reach out to, all that matters is that you let someone know how you feel.
5) Think positive
It is a lot easier said than done, but when you are feeling stressed, it can be helpful to think positive thoughts. Rather than fixating on whatever is making you feel stressed, think about the positive things in your life and the things that you feel grateful for.
Ask yourself: what or who in my life makes me happy? It might help to write down a list of three things that you are grateful for every day to help draw you away from the negative feelings that stress can cause. These could be simple things such as: a warm shower or time in the sun.
If your employment search is causing you stress, then register with the Forces Employment Charity today. We can give you tailored, life-long, life-changing, employment support and guidance that will help you progress in your career.
