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Stress Awareness Month at Eastleigh College

This April will mark the 31st edition of Stress Awareness Month, a UK-wide campaign to tackle the modern stress epidemic. To show solidarity with the initiative, Eastleigh College is organising multiple workshops to promote practical stress reduction techniques for learners.

High stress levels have long been linked to a series of physical ramifications, such as insomnia, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system and an increased risk of a heart attack. Research has also shown stress can be a significant factor in the development and sustenance of mental health problems including anxiety and depression.

Dr Gwyn Elias, GP and Clinical Lead for Mental Health at NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It’s really important that we’re all aware of how we’re feeling as well as our friends, family and colleagues. Recognising the red flags of stress can help us spot when someone may need support.”

Mindfulness has emerged in recent years as an increasingly efficient method to reduce stress. In alignment with this, Eastleigh College has committed to delivering a mindfulness breathing workshop in April that will look to equip our learners with the skills to implement and maintain mindful breathing in their lives. This workshop will explore the reasons why it is important to focus attention on our breathing, how to hone the required skills and how these can help us to deal with all the difficult feelings we may encounter.

A second workshop to be established at the College in April is entitled “Raisin’ Exercises”. The purpose of this will be to create a clarity of thoughts and focus, enabling the participants to improve positivity, sleeping and breathing through an exercise of looking at a raisin through different lenses and exploring the use of all the senses. It is designed to improve focus and concentration with a view to avoiding and suppressing harmful mental issues.

Both workshops will be delivered through 30-minute bookable workshops during April. Tutors that are interested in enlisting their groups for participation can book through the event coordinator Dan Collinson at dcollinson@eastleigh.ac.uk.

Stress Awareness Month has been held every year since 1992 and seeks to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures of the contemporary stress epidemic. For more information, please visit the official website here.

For any further queries, please contact the College at BeBetter@eastleigh.ac.uk.