Stress-busting

Suggestions for managing stress

If you are finding yourself to be very stressed, please talk with your Form tutor or Head of Year, or feel welcome to come and find one of the School's counselling team [Katherine Cox, Mr Cullen, Mrs Croucher]

Please click here for two guided mindfulness meditation exercises that you may find helpful whether you are feeling stressed or not:

"FOFBOC" [stands for "Feet on floor; bum on chair"] This will help you to focus and relax your mind, through grounding your attention in your body
 
"Beditation": this will help you to calm and relax your mind when you are lying in bed. It should help you to sleep!
 
Here are some other strategies that many people find helpful for managing stress: 

1. GROUND YOURSELF USING THE FOLLOWING METHODS: 

  • Keep feeling your feet on the floor, whether you are sitting or walking 
  • Feel the sensations of sitting on the chair; let yourself sink into these sensations 
  • Allow yourself to breathe freely, noticing if you’re holding your breath in any way 
  • Try saying the words “fresh” and “calm” in your mind while you breathe in and out, respectively. 
  • Use the guided mindfulness meditation exercise on the MP3 file listed above 
2. ACKNOWLEDGE & NAME WHAT YOU’RE FEELING 
  • “Ah, this is just worry …” 
  • Good morning, fear!” 
  • “This is just stress passing through” 
3. ORGANISE YOURSELF IN WAYS THAT WILL UPLIFT YOU 
  • Tidying your bedroom & desk can make a big difference. How can you arrange them so that they uplift and inspire you as you sit down to work? 
  • Take time also to organise and tidy your files and to have a revision timetable. 
  • Having a set routine to your evening also helps [regular starting time for work; regular breaks - 40 mins working/10 min break pattern works for many. Use an alarm clock to help you keep focused] 
  • Do what you are least looking forward to doing FIRST in each evening / work session / revision programme etc. 
 4. TAKE PLENTY OF EXERCISE; DRINK PLENTY OF WATER 
  • This is crucial. Don’t give up exercise just because you’re busy! 
 5. TAKE TIME AT END OF EACH DAY TO RELAX PHYSICALLY 
  • Lie on back floor, knees bent up 
  • Breathe and let body tension drain into floor 
  • Resist urge to get up prematurely; roll to one side when you do 
  • A regular bedtime will greatly help you in getting a good night’s sleep 
  • Count your blessings before going to bed! What are you grateful for at the end of this day? 
 6. IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH STRESS, TALK ABOUT IT TO SOMEONE WHO YOU TRUST.