This year the theme for Stress Awareness Day is Community. Loneliness and isolation are known to have a major impact on wellbeing and stress levels,  which in turn impacts both mental and physical health. Social isolation is a significant risk factor in both deteriorating mental health and suicide.

Finding activities that help to remove the person from their thoughts or situation can be vital in helping them to overcome their stress and recognise the temporary nature of the situation. To mark this year’s theme of ‘‘community’, we explore xx ways in which people can get active, lower their stress levels, meet new people and even discover a new passion they never knew was there.

1. Join a dance class

It can be hard to connect with others and the thought of trying something out of your comfort zone can be daunting but it can also be exhilarating! Finding a new class to join, whether that is in-person or a virtual class, will not only help you to learn a new skill, but will boost confidence and introduce you to new people too, explains Sapphira, a Burlesque performer, trainer and founder of World Burlesque Day.

“For me, discovering Burlesque classes when I first moved to London enabled me to discover the true me. It not only helped me to improve my mental health and learn to be confident in my own skin, it has opened the doors to so many wonderful opportunities over the years that would never have happened if I hadn’t tried Burlesque.”

Ahead of World Burlesque Day on the 26th April, you candownload the World Burlesque Academy App and access Sapphira’s free ‘Queen of the Scene’ module.

2. Get involved with social activities in your workplace

Whether you are working from the office, remotely or a bit of both, there are plenty of opportunities to destress and unwind alongside your fellow colleagues. Whether its a walking club at lunchtime,  an online book club via Zoom, or even a regular afternoon quiz, getting involved with social activities in the workplace is an ideal stress buster. It not only provides much needed respite from a hectic work schedule, but makes room for creating deeper, more meaningful relationships with fellow colleagues,  explains Lesley Tait, a Personal Performance & Wellbeing Coach at Her Supreme Self.

“Having a clear, disciplined routine that separates work and home commitments that also allows for regular breaks is vital for maintaining wellbeing and stress management. Regular team check-ins with built in  ‘agenda-free’ time allow for greater connection on a personal level. Being more present allows us to listen more intently and honing our listening skills will enable us to pick up on subtle cues that we might otherwise not notice during the normal working routine,” explains Lesley.

3. Rent out space in your home

As people get older and their children fly the nest, what was once a family home can suddenly feel very empty and lonely. Feeling alone and isolated is something many people face and this can lead to greater stress levels and depression. Often, moving house isn’t a practical or preferred option.

Exploring innovative ways to reinvent your existing home, such as renting some of it out can not only bring in much needed income, but provide companionship and a sense of giving something back to the community too, explains architect Ileana Schinder, author of ‘Housing for Humans’.

“I remember a client coming to me with the desire to make her home smaller, usually people are trying to find more space rather than less. The project involved subdividing her home to transform the bottom part of her townhouse into a studio apartment. The income generated by the new unit was a means to support her lifestyle as she aged, helping her to fulfil her dreams of travelling,” explains Ileana.

4. Create or get involved with a local community project

Often, a helpful way to reduce stress is to take up alternative hobbies or get involved in projects that have no personal agenda or external demands.

David Ko and Richard Busellato, sustainability advocates and author of ‘The Unsustainable Truth’, suggest getting involved with community or charity projects to help ward off stress.

“Everyone wants to be part of something meaningful”, they say, “dedicating time to help other people is a very effective way to not only take your mind off stressful things, but also give you the positive sense of purpose and accomplishment that is sucked out of stressful situations”.

They emphasise that being engaged with the local community and working toward bigger things reduces the pressure felt on a personal level.

“Try creating a local recycling, donation or collection scheme in the local community. It’s an opportunity for people to share and do things together, helping each other with basic chores and needs. This would improve your social connections and help save resources in the long run”, the state.

“Sustainability is a point of stress for many, so projects like these would also satisfy people’s need to feel part of a positive effort toward helping the environment”.

5. Join a meditation support group

Gillian McMichael, transformational coach and author of ‘Coming Home’ emphasises that a core part in reducing stress is learning to focus on yourself and what you really want from life.

“Self-reflection is a great way to reduce stress”, she says. “If you genuinely want to feel more content, you need to stop focusing your attention on the outside world and turn your attention to what’s going on inside.”

Gillian explains that a practical activity makes it easier to connect to the self and simpler to establish within a daily routine. Her go-to is meditation.

“Meditation calms your mind; it also calms your body and your emotions. In the process of going within, meditation helps you to release accumulated tension, stress, fatigue, and everything that prevents you from experiencing your essential nature – your true self.”

Often, meditation might seem quite daunting to try on your own, and so Gillian encourages people to join an online support group or even a class to teach you the basics.

“It can take a while before you feel comfortable trying meditation alone”, she states, “Sometimes it’s helpful to journey alongside others, first learning how to practise conscious breathing before graduating on to longer periods of meditation. A supportive community is often more effective in mitigating stress than meditating in isolation.”

6. Try outdoor exercise with others

Not only is exercise beneficial for physical health, it often gives people the mental fresh start they need to tackle difficult tasks.                                     

TJ Power, lecturer in psychology at the University of Exeter and contributing author to ‘Success Secrets for Wellbeing’ explains why exercise is so helpful for handling stress, and when it’s best to get some exercise in.                      

“The first thing we must do each day is move our bodies,” he says.  “It is easy to gravitate towards the phone, towards the opportunity for information about our families, friends, and the world around us. Whilst the temptation of the phone is powerful, gravitating towards movement as the first step in your day is incredibly important for your mind”.

Getting out and about with other people not only keeps you accountable but gives you something extra to look forward to; exercise becomes a social experience instead of a chore. “Spending time immersed in the natural world, be that a park, a field, or a forest provides significant improvements in the function of your immune system, the function of your body and the function of your mind,” TJ adds. “With the world evidently quickly moving towards a technologically based society, it is important to actively prioritise consistently connecting with where you came from, the instinctive human part of yourself.”