Would you say you have stress in your life?
Do you feel you are in control of your stress or is it leading you?
In October 2023 the statistics for stress were as follows –
Across 31 countries, over three-fifths (62%) say that they have felt stressed to the point where it had an impact on how they lived their daily lives at least once in the past year, with just over a third (34%) saying it has happened several times.
What about anxiety?
Would you describe yourself as an anxious person?
A survey for the Mental Health Foundation polling of 6000 UK adults (conducted by Opinium) found that nearly three-quarters of the population (73%) had felt anxious at least sometimes in the previous two weeks, while more than a quarter (26%) of those with feelings of anxiety felt anxious to the extent that it stopped them from doing what they’d like or need to do. One in five people (20%) felt anxious most or all of the time.
For the majority of us, our lifestyles are fast paced and hectic perhaps even chaotic. For women stress tends to be even higher as we juggle so many things on a daily basis.
Believe me, I have been there and I am passionate about helping women to lessen this stress. It can actually be done by taking small steps and the quicker that you take action the better. Your body will cause you to stop in one way or another, injury, illness or burnout if you don’t and I don’t want that for you.
Knowing who you really are is key as it allows you to have clarity around what makes you tick; what makes you happy and brings joy and fulfilment into your life and knowing where you want to go gives you a goal and a benchmark.
Walking is a great activity to integrate into your life to help with stress and you don’t have to walk miles every day. It takes you into the moment and gives you space.
I wanted to share some words from Anna Pereira, Chairwoman Soul Ventures, which will help you in understanding the differences between stress and anxiety and that awareness can be the first step in change.
1. Response to a Situation: Stress is typically a response to external pressures or demands, often triggered by specific circumstances or events. It can arise from factors like work deadlines, financial pressures, relationship difficulties, or major life changes. In contrast, anxiety can be a more generalised feeling of unease or apprehension that may not be linked to a specific cause or trigger. It can be a persistent feeling of worry and fear that extends beyond specific events.
2. Duration: Stress is often temporary and short-term, related to a specific event or situation. It typically subsides once the stressor is resolved or managed. Anxiety, on the other hand, can be chronic and long-lasting. It may persist even when there is no immediate threat or stressor present.
3. Intensity of Response: Stress tends to be a response to specific stressors, and the intensity of the stress response can vary depending on the situation. Anxiety, however, often involves a more persistent and exaggerated response. It can be characterised by excessive worry, fear, and a sense of impending doom, even in the absence of immediate danger.
4. Physical Symptoms: Both stress and anxiety can manifest in physical symptoms, but the specific symptoms may differ. Stress can cause physical symptoms such as tension headaches, muscle aches, stomach discomfort, or sleep disturbances. Anxiety may also present physical symptoms like heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, or gastrointestinal issues. However, anxiety symptoms can be more pervasive and persistent.
5. Cognitive Patterns: While stress and anxiety can both affect cognitive functioning, they can influence cognition differently. Stress often leads to a sense of overwhelm, difficulty concentrating, and a feeling of being mentally drained. Anxiety, on the other hand, can involve persistent worrying thoughts, rumination, and an inability to switch off anxious thoughts or catastrophic thinking patterns.
The walking events we run are transformational and result in clarity, insights, reduction of stress, aha moments and breakthroughs of all shapes and sizes. The outcomes often surprise the individual who didn’t even realise some of these would be beneficial to their lives.
Our online programmes do the same and the monthly walks can be the catalyst to this transformation with regular walks allowing the changes to happen in a more gradual way.
You can also have this transformation in a 1-2-1 way.
If you are interested in any of this, please reach out to explore how I can help you. You can email me at heather@1millionwomenwalking.com.
