TV can be used to reduce stress and anxiety by distracting you from your problems.

Watching your favourite show can also be relaxing, especially if you’re lying down.

But watching too much TV, instead of doing other activities or getting outdoors to exercise can increase your anxiety.

We call this the SELF Strategy.

Sometimes we forget how important the basics are for helping us manage stress in our day-to-day lives. Getting enough sleep, doing regular exercise, finding something we enjoy and eating a balanced and healthy diet, all support our mental health and wellbeing.

The SELF Strategy will help you to remember these.

SELF Strategy

It’s normal to procrastinate when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed.

If you only procrastinate for a short time, it can reduce stress. But if you procrastinate for a long time, it will increase your stress.

Spending time with friends can be a great way to reduce stress.

Hanging out with friends and family can improve your mental health and wellbeing and help you feel calm and happy.

It’s important to speak up.

When we keep our problems to ourselves they can start to feel heavy and overwhelming. Speaking about how we feel can give us a sense of relief and calm. It also let’s others help us. Remember that whatever you’re feeling, you’re not alone.

Finding any trusted adult to speak to is a great place to start. A trusted adult is someone you have a good relationship with and has your best interests at heart. For example, it may be a friend’s parent, an Uncle, Aunty, teacher or parent.

Computer games can be fun.

They are an interactive way to spend time and can help to reduce stress. They can also be social if you’re playing with other people.

But don’t play for too long. If you don’t get outside to exercise and do other activities, computer games might make you feel worse.

It depends on what you eat.

Healthy snacks are okay if they help to cheer you up! Eating processed foods that are high in sugar, fat, salts and additives can have a negative impact on your physical and mental health.

Asking why can feel overwhelming at first. But it will help.

The AAAH Technique is a great way to process your stress.

A – Ask what.

What is making you stressed?

A – Ask why.

Why are you feeling stressed?

A – Act.

What actions can you take to address the problem? Do you have control over this situation? If not, what can you do to make yourself feel better

H – Help.

Asking for help takes courage and bravery. Don’t give up. It makes a difference when there are people to support you.

If you have negative thoughts a lot, this can cause you to feel stressed.

If you learn to build positive self-talk, it can help to relieve stress.

1. Notice and acknowledge the unhelpful thought. Remind yourself that thoughts are not facts.
2. Consider the evidence. What is the evidence that supports the thought, and the evidence against it?
3. Challenge the thought by speaking to yourself with kindness. What would you say to a friend who was thinking the same thing?
4. Create a more helpful thought.

TRY THIS

Self-care is any activity you deliberately do to look after yourself.

Self-care is looking after your needs and refuelling your body and mind. Regular self-care activities are important for our wellbeing.

It might seem simple. But when life is busy, it can be easy to forget to take care of yourself. Forgetting to do this can have negative effects on our physical, social, emotional and mental health.

Practising self-care regularly will help you to –