The month of April is Stress Awareness Month - an opportunity to increase awareness of both the causes and cures for the modern stress epidemic.
Stress is a part of everyone’s life. Professionally and personally, channelling stress in the right way and equipping ourselves with coping mechanisms is a vital life skill.
We Asked #TeamEames: What do you do to help yourself when you’re feeling stressed?
Exercise is my go-to when I’m feeling stressed. It allows me to take my mind away from any problems for a short period of time and focus on myself. - Nigel Ma, Singapore
Going for a run is the best option for me. I’m far from a natural runner but, it’s so good for the mind and body. Also, it gives you uninterrupted time to process your thoughts and put them in logical order. I’ve solved many a conundrum on a 5km run! - Ruth Foster, UK
To be honest, I’m still learning! I do try to listen to my body and see what will best help in the situation. Sometimes it involves taking breaks and going for a run, reading, journaling, and other times I might prefer to talk and hang out with my partner and friends. I’m so glad I have an amazing support system that has helped me a lot! - Abigail Lee
I find scheduling an hour-long walk two to three times a week helps regulate my stress and anxiety levels. - Fairuz Abu, Singapore
Take a break and breathe. It may sound simple but when things are piling up, it’s the first thing we forget. So before, I do anything, I’ll just remind myself to breathe. - Jasper Ang, Singapore
2 main things. Talk. I often will talk to friends or my wife if I’m feeling bogged down and stressed. You quickly realise how small a problem you’ve built up in your head is once you’ve vocalised it and asked for help. Walk or get some fresh air. A change of scenery I often think is key, it’s super easy to spiral and worry in stressful situations so getting outside and focusing on something else for half an hour really helps. - Harry Buttery, Singapore
My stress management process is typically broken down into 3 generic parts - distraction, learning and moving on. When under stress, I would start by distracting myself and doing something that takes my mind completely off the matter, such as playing an intense sport or watching a good movie. Once I am in a better emotional state to tackle the issue, I would sit myself down in a quiet environment and try to identify the stressors and think of ways to remedy them. Reading quotes about stress works well at this stage for me as well. Lastly, I would formulate some actions based on the self-assessment and turn my engine back on to move forward. - Kun Liang, Singapore
Take the time off to relax and be calm, speak to someone that I trust, doesn’t have to be seeking advice but just to express your feelings and read a comic book or cartoon which can bring me peace or laugh. - Jojo Yeung, Hong Kong
I like to exercise, especially over Covid I learnt to play tennis. Also, I think sometimes you just need to take a step back and re-prioritise, work out what’s important and what can wait. I’m trying to learn that you can’t stress over anything you have no control over. - Hazel Rowe, Singapore
I have found walking around helps as our nature of work demands using phone/calls most frequently. My setup at home is an adjustable stand-sit table which allows me to walk whilst in a phone conversation. This helps me clock mileage and also as they say “motion produces emotion” Music and singing are also other ways of stress relief, which you can do in the comfort of the house. Give me a microphone, anytime! - Vincent Yao, Singapore
I ensure I take some time for myself, whether that’s having a massage or meeting a friend to go for a walk and talk. It’s important to set aside some time to reset and focus on your own self-care when feeling stressed, no matter how difficult it feels to find that time in the moment! - Lauren Seal, UK
When I’m stressed, I try to take my mind off things by either doing a sport that I enjoy or just anything that can distract or make me not think of whatever is making me feel that way. Usually, exercise, socialising or even walking the dog helps me. - Emerson Brereton-Davies, UK
I try to park whatever is making me stressed and go and do something I find enjoyable, play golf, cook a meal, have a glass of wine, watch a film or play with my son and then come at the problem refreshed and focus only on solutions. - Richard Williams, UK
Slow my pace down, take a short break or walk, talk to someone internally or externally and come back to that particular task with a different approach or technique or even at a later date. - Jessica Evans, UK
When I’m stressed I will silence my phone for half an hour and do something totally abstract like listening to a podcast to refocus. I find short mindfulness podcasts really useful for this, they provide perspective and relaxation techniques that you can apply to daily situations. - Amelia Mercer, UK
I remind myself of the positive things I have done that day or week and use it to reset. I also play football twice a week with a group of my mates, I find playing a team sport with close friends is a great way to release any stress you have. - Ben Meoded, UK
If something happens in my working day that is particularly stressful, I’ll fight the instinct to react, and make a cup of tea or take a quick walk. If it is a more general overarching stressful day, you will either find me at the gym or at the bottom of a tub of ice cream! When I feel I am under unpleasant stress for more than a few days I’ll map it all out and see what I can delegate, what is unnecessary stress, what is the main source of the stress and most importantly, what do I need to do to reduce this. - Abigail Moss, UK
Taking a step back and talking to my support network about what has me feeling stressed. Sometimes just saying it out loud and getting it off your chest can be a big help! - Sophie Daniel, UK
When I am feeling stressed and overwhelmed, I make sure to take a step back and put a list together in order of priority, so I don’t end up trying to do it all at once. I am the opposite of a procrastinator, which sounds better than it actually is, I end up trying to do my entire to-do list in one day when in reality there is no need for it and the quality suffers! So taking a step back or going on a walk, definitely helps me a lot. - Rafaela Fakhre, UK
When I feel stressed it helps to reach out to people around me, such as my team, friends and family who I know can support me in various ways to understand where the stress is coming from and offer help to relieve it. - Viveca Riley, UK
I am very conscious of stress, having a Generalised Anxiety Disorder, I manage this through GBT & medication, it is very important for me to be aware of my triggers, ensure that stress does not pile up and communicate openly when having a bad day/run. I have been hugely supported in this by Eames, and it has allowed me to get through tougher periods quicker and continue to perform, which, in itself, helps reduce the stress if work-related! - Andrew Mackay, UK