Do you have times in your life when you feel endlessly stressed, thinking you can't cope or finding it difficult to deal with things?

That's what we are talking about today on Episode 4: Loosening the Grip of Long-Term Stress.

We explore the the topic of long-term stress, its effects on mental and physical health, and ways in which listeners can manage and mitigate its impacts. We look at two main coping strategies: problem-focused coping that deals with the reducing or removing the cause of stress, and emotion-focused coping that works to reduce the emotional distress associated with stress. We also offer a wealth of practical tips around time management, reframing thoughts, breathwork, mindfulness and deep muscle relaxation. 

Your Better Mental Wellbeing is a weekly podcast helping you to manage stress and build resilience with easy evidence-based tools.

We're your hosts, Neera and Soen.

Dr Neera Dholakia is a GP for Boots Online Doctor and the NHS. She is an expert in mental wellbeing and has extensive experience designing mental health services whilst working for NHS England, Healthy London Partnership and mental health trusts. As well as promoting self-care, she also works to improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.

Soen Trueman is a full stack developer with Boots Online Doctor, specialising in graphics design, user experience, and user behaviour. Soen’s interests in behavioural analysis extends to psychology and further to neuroscience, which he is currently studying at Harvard University.

Links to this week's discussion:

[02:34] The Stress Bucket Analogy

[03:58] Effects of Long-Term Stress on Physical Health

[10:00] Problem Focused Coping Strategies

[12:00] SSTA (Stop, Slow Down, Think, Act)

[15:42] Emotion Focused Coping Strategies

[18:37] Importance of Relaxation in Stress Management

Key takeaways:

-Managing long-term stress is essential for mental and physical health.

-You can identify the feelings and behaviours that impact on how you cope with stress.

-Use problem-solving and relaxation techniques to reduce stress and improve your ability to deal with it when it's there.

Join us next week for a guided Impactful 10: Muscle Relaxation.

Find our more:

For transcripts visit our website: https://yourbettermentalwellbeing.show

For great health, lifestyle and wellbeing information visit: https://onlinedoctor.boots.com

The information in this podcast is not intended to replace your own GP or other doctor’s professional medical advice.