Stress is a common feeling in modern society where life can be fast paced with constant bombardment of information. Stress is the feeling of being under pressure of which, small amounts of pressure is not necessarily a bad thing and can drive us to be productive and achieve our life goals. 

However, too much pressure for too long can lead to the feelings out of control, overwhelmed, irritable, anxious, fatigued, 'burnt out' and eventually depressed.

If you are experiencing some of the feelings above, one of the first key things to focus on is developing a compassion to oneself, recognising it is often not your fault and these feelings are largely a reaction to external factors. Below are some ways to work out what the factors are that make you feel stressed and developing strategies to manage it.

Talking to someone whether be a friend, work colleague, employer can be helpful to find practical solutions to the issue. Sometimes speaking to someone who is removed from the situation is helpful like a councellor or psychotherapist. Often your workplace can provide this support but if not there are a list of councellors/ psychotherapist available in Edinburgh , see the link below.

We would recommend speaking to our clinical team either a General practionner (GP), Physician Associate (PA), Nurse Practionner (NP) at our practice if you are:

• feeling significant emotional instability
• significant anxiety or depressive symptoms
• recurrent suicidal thoughts and feelings

Medical research has shown that regular exercise is a great way to elevate your mood to decrease stress . It does this by decreasing levels of  stress hormones such as cortisol while also increasing the body’s natural feel good chemicals such as endorphins, dopamine and serotonin. 

Healthy Active Minds is a physical activity project for adults aged 18 years and over with mild to moderate depression, stress, anxiety or low mood. It requires a referral from your medical practice or a mental health team. The Programme offers specialist support, tailoring of individualised health plans with options such as swimming , yoga, gym or walking.

Click here for more info 

Feeling Good is a brilliant free app for both android and apple phones, that uses relaxation, CBT and resilience building techniques to help improve positive feelings, self esteem and self-confidence. They also include ways to improve sleep. Carefully and thoughtfully devised by a local GP and Psychologist in Leith. It is NHS Lothian approved and has helped thousands of people in Edinburgh and Scotland with mental health issues. Highly recommended app!