by Dr Rimma Grant
April marks Stress Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the widespread impact stress has on both physical and mental health. With her experience as an expert witness, Dr Grant is able to address the complexities of stress in both personal injury and clinical negligence cases, providing valuable insights into how stress can impact individuals in various contexts.
Stress is one of the most common presentations in primary care. Patients often present during or after a period of stress in their life, either due to the emotional symptoms of depression and/or anxiety or physical symptoms such as joint pain, headaches, insomnia, which can be attributed a stressful situation in their life. Stress impacts our work and home life and can have serious long-term risks if not managed and addressed early on. Patients may also present due to harmful behaviours, which have resulted as a coping mechanism to a stressful situation such as increasing alcohol intake or even drug use. As a GP, we can’t eliminate a stressful event but we can advise patients on how to manage their stress levels better.
What can we advise..?
- Exercise ,Exercise, Exercise
Exercise this can take place in any form. Advise patients to find some form of exercise which they enjoy, that can have easy access to and can incorporate into their everyday life. If the exercising can be done outside, even better. This can include walking, joining a sports team or local walking or running group. Also advise patients on exercising at home via free online videos, signing up for the couch to 5k if patients are able to do this. Regular exercise is the natural way to improve sleep, increase endorphins and lower stress levels and we should be encouraging patients to access exercise in some form on a regular basis for an improved overall well-being.
- Get some sleep….zzzzz
Yes stress can affect our sleep but maintaining a healthy sleep schedule is vital to lowering stress levels. Good sleep hygiene includes avoiding screens (phone, TV, computer) before going to sleep, creating the right environment for sleep, reading a book and reducing our caffeine intake. These are vital ingredients for a healthy night sleep.
- Reduce alcohol
It’s not unusual for patients to increase their alcohol intake during stressful periods. This has a negative impact not just on our physical health, but also worsens anxiety symptoms and can lower mood, in particular the following day after drinking alcohol. Ensuring alcohol intake is maintained to a healthy recommended level.
- Spend time with others
Spending time with friends will not only improve mood and lower stress but studies have shown that sharing problems with others helps to reduce blood pressure levels and pulse rates. This can be by going for a walk with a friend, talking on the phone and looking at what clubs and activities are available locally. Often libraries are a good place to start and offer many clubs and activities which are either free or at a reduced rate.
- Mindfulness
So often our lives are busy with little time to stop and appreciate the things we have. Mindfulness, meditation and breathing techniques encourage us to be more present in the moment and practicing these daily has been shown to reduce stress levels and improve sleep. There are apps available for this and can be accessed on most phone and computer devices.
More tips
If you ever feel life is getting too stressful or your physical and mental well-being is affected, always ask for help. Your GP is a great place to start for advice and guidance on services available locally. For other options visit the NHS website.
To instruct Dr Rimma Grant, please contact us.
t: +44 (0)161 218 0223
e: contact@exp-w.com