Ways to cope with stressful life events

*This post contains affiliate links 

From what I can see on social media and in the news, many people are finding this current situation with the pandemic stressful and in many ways traumatic especially if you have ill family members you cannot visit or be close with. Of course, this is not the only type of traumatic life event many will experience, things such as childbirth can take a lot to recover from, illness, separation or even smaller things like changes in your job or issues you may have had at school.

I had an accident a few years ago which meant having ACL reconstructive surgery on my knee, followed by another surgery 2yrs later and the recovering both mentally and physically took longer than I imagined and I learnt a lot along the way. I had months of immobility which hit me hard as I am such an active person, along with lots of physiotherapies, wearing a metal brace on my 24hrs a day and having to use crutches or a wheelchair on longer journeys, wish I'd had a powered wheelchair from Fenetic Wellbeing as it would have been super useful at the time.

Through that experience (as well as a few others along the way) I wanted to put together some tips on how to cope a little better when life throws you a spanner in the works.

1. Don't ignore your feelings as there is no right or wrong way to feel.

We are all individuals and each of our stress triggers are going to be different so don't let others dictate to you how you should be feeling or reacting as this is going to be personal and different for everyone and all feelings are valid.

2. Focus on supportive relationships

Friendships are really important to our general wellbeing, you don't have to have lots of friends but having on or two positive and supportive relationships can really help when you hit a rough patch. Sharing and talking with those you trust can give you a sense of renewed strength and perspective and luckily with all the technology we have today even in lockdown we can stay in touch with the people who mean the most to us.

3. Get moving

Even if mobility has been affected there are things we can do to keep moving and stay healthy and this is important with your feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Low impact activities such as going for a 30 min walk can be great for perspective and helping to release endorphins. You ca also try some gentle yoga or practice some mindfulness.

4. Got to bed earlier

Getting enough rest is so important for both mental and physical wellbeing as a good night sleep is proven to reduce stress, leaving your feel calmer, as well as more alert and able to problem solve and rationalise things.

5. Talk to a professional

If you are feeling like stress or anxiety is getting a little too much than it may be time to talk to a professional or a friendly ear as it can really help to put things in perspective or help guide you in the right direction on how to cope the best you can. First, start talking to family members or if you don't feel comfortable get in touch with your GP or health professional or give the Samaritans a call.