Stress Awareness Week – Taking Back Control of Your Health

Understanding Stress and Its Hidden Impact

We are all victims of stress, and it’s quietly taking a toll on our health. It’s the silent driver behind many chronic health issues, yet there’s still so little awareness about it. Living with chronic stress can push underlying health problems to the surface before you even realise what’s happening.

My Personal Journey Through Chronic Stress

Five years ago, I was deep in the throes of chronic stress. My dad was in remission after brutal cancer treatment, and my mum had just been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer. Sadly, we lost her only nine weeks later, three weeks into the first Covid lockdown.

The months that followed were incredibly difficult. My dad was very ill, and Covid restrictions meant I couldn’t be with him. Just over a year later, we also lost my dad, this time to Covid. With his weakened immune system, he simply had no fight left.

During that time, I carried so much stress that it began driving multiple health issues: digestive problems, weight loss, migraines, brain fog, and anxiety. My body was stuck in fight-or-flight mode, and I had no idea. While I was also experiencing perimenopausal symptoms, their severity was clearly fuelled by chronic stress.

Learning to Heal and Reclaim My Health

Five years on, I recognise what was happening. Over the past two years, I’ve focused on getting myself back to a healthy place. I’m no longer reliant on prescribed medication for the symptoms I once struggled with.

Now, I prioritise nutrition, exercise, sleep, and mindful stress management. I have strategies in place for when life inevitably gets hectic. Stress no longer controls my life, I do.

The New Normal: Always “On”

Since Covid, many of us continue to work from home, and the line between work and home life has blurred. How many of us check work emails before we even get out of bed?

Before remote work, a commute gave us time to reset, read, listen to music, or simply take a breath. Weekends were sacred. You switched off on Friday evening and weren’t expected to be reachable until Monday morning.

Now, we’re contactable 24/7, and with the cost-of-living crisis and job insecurity, stress levels are skyrocketing. Many fear that if they aren’t constantly available, they’ll be seen as dispensable. Somewhere along the way stress became a badge of honour, if you are not stressed then you are not working hard enough, and that needs to change.

It’s time to take responsibility for our own health and push back against the culture of constant busyness.

Why Chronic Stress Is a Health Crisis

With all the advances in modern medicine, you’d expect us to be living healthier, longer lives. Instead, we’re seeing rising rates of cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, not just in older adults but in younger generations too.

Genetics play only a small role; lifestyle is the main factor. Nutrition and exercise are well-known pillars of good health, but what many overlook is that stress is one of the biggest drivers of illness. It affects both physical and mental wellbeing.

With the NHS under enormous pressure, it’s more important than ever take responsibility of our health, to care for our bodies and minds; to eat well, move more, and manage stress effectively.

Lessons from the World’s Healthiest Communities

If you look at the world’s longest-living populations, known as the Blue Zones (such as Sardinia, Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica), you’ll find they eat whole, natural foods and live community-oriented, low-stress lives.

We can learn from them. While modern life is busy, we’re allowed to take back control, slow down, and prioritise joy and health.

How to Manage Stress Effectively

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a step back and evaluate your situation. What can be changed? What can be managed differently? Here are some simple ways to start reducing stress today:

1. Eat a whole-food diet – Avoid processed convenience foods that spike blood sugar and increase inflammation. Nourish your body with foods rich in nutrients.

2. Stay hydrated – Aim for around 2L of water daily.

3. Use stress-relief techniques – Try breathing exercises, yoga, walking outdoors, or even standing barefoot on grass for a few minutes during a coffee break.

4. Prioritise quality sleep – Avoid scrolling your phone in bed. Blue light from screens disrupts your sleep hormones and reduces deep rest.

5. Set healthy boundaries – Let colleagues know your working hours, use your out-of-office, and don’t check emails first thing in the morning.

6. Do what makes you happy – Spend time on hobbies or with friends. Joy and laughter are powerful antidotes to stress.

   
   

You’re Not Alone

If any of this resonates with you, please know you’re not alone, support is available. Talk to family, friends, or seek guidance from a health coach who can help you look at your life holistically and identify what changes can support your wellbeing.

If you’d like a no-obligation 15-minute chat to explore whether health coaching could help you, book a time through my homepage. I’d love to help you feel like yourself again.

Let go of the stress!