Stress can significantly impact people’s lives, often leaving us to feel powerless, exhausted and overwhelmed. This can negatively affect us not only mentally, but physically too. Recent circumstances which have resulted in remote working and studying for many people – and their unfamiliarity with this and adapting to a new regime – may be a factor causing stress.
Although our brain may initially be trained to fight or flight through moments of stress, learning and practising response mechanisms to tackle these feelings can help us feel in control over a longer period of time.
This resource contains clear and useful guidance on how to manage stress, exploring a range of techniques to ensure there are different methods available for individuals to try to find out which ones work for them. This includes breathing exercises, spoken affirmations, tapping techniques and the power of creativity.
The Yellow Book features advice and tips from therapists and health practitioners and is written by Peter Hirst and Claire Evans of rethinkyourmind, a not-for-profit organisation aiming to improve wellbeing through creative and personalised resources.
Linking to the importance of rethinkyourmind’s creative ideology, the free resource also features poetry, artwork, readings and music to help readers with their mental health.
In addition, the book is available in audio format so that users can process the information in a way that suits them.
Loughborough University’s Occupational Health and Wellbeing Manager Sarah Van-Zoelen commented: “In the current situation, stress due to changing circumstances is evident. With stressors, we cannot always eradicate them, but we can control our response to them, transform the situation into a challenge, and do something that’s to our personal advantage.
“As humans we are individual and need to be appreciated as such, which means there is no ‘one size fits all’ for managing stressors and improving mental health. We do know, however, that a combined approach leads to more positive outcomes.
“The Yellow Book contains a multitude of tools to help manage the stress response, turn the outcomes to our advantage and take us on a journey of improved wellbeing. The tools can be found in written form or audio format so that you can use the information to its best effect depending on your needs.”
The Yellow Book is available to access on the University website here (please note you will be required to sign in using your normal login details).