ADVERTORIAL FEATURE
For the average person in Surrey and Sussex, these are undoubtedly difficult times. A toxic mix of inflation, rising interest rates, and surging fuel costs are putting the pressure on the average household, with the latter likely to see fewer homes turning the heating on. It’s little surprise, then, that mental health charity Mind have found 74% of British citizens feel ‘overwhelmed’ or stressed. In Surrey, Get Surrey reports that 6 in 10 teachers feel stressed, and the Police Federation reports a 30% increase in Surrey based police signing off work. All of this, and winter is only going to make that harder. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial that individuals and families take time to find ways to mitigate this stress and continue supporting themselves through a tough winter.
Tackling the symptoms
Oftentimes, stress and anxiety will rear its head through challenging physical symptoms. This can include stomach issues, headaches, and teeth grinding (bruxism). The latter effect is especially closely linked with anxiety and stress and, according to The Guardian, has been experienced at a much higher rate since the covid pandemic, with parents particularly badly impacted. This is a familiar story in Surrey; the council recently had to apologise after leaving 150 families without school transport, and Surrey Live reports that in one Banstead school, the level of behaviour from the children is following a local pattern of unacceptability. Parents are simply under huge pressure.
A good way to start helping with stress is to tackle those immediate symptoms. For a sore stomach, try green teas, deep breathing exercises, and a balanced diet including oats and vegetables. This can also help with reducing stress headaches – breathing especially. For grinding, it can be more difficult, as it’s often at night when the problem is at its worst. Some options for dealing with bruxism are removable mouthguards, temporary braces and retainers such as Invisalign. These can help to reduce the deleterious impact of teeth grinding, and provide a springboard to then go and address the root cause.
Addressing the problems
Winter brings a specific set of psychological distress to individuals, and this is often known as seasonal affective disorder – or SAD. Surrey is one of the better areas of the UK for sunshine and yet, as Surrey Live highlights, the county homes many of the 29% of British people who experience SAD. Even without a formal diagnosis, the background to SAD and the symptoms it causes are familiar – feeling cold, lethargic, being unable to get out of bed and feeling irritable. All of these problems can also be associated with winter. Surrey Live suggests that one way to help prevent them is through a SAD light – this is a device that will blast out blue or white light very early in the morning, imitating the effect of the sun, and helping to manage down SAD symptoms. You can also try eating oily fish and taking a vitamin D supplement.
Correcting the home
Ultimately, however, a lot of this preparation can be made more difficult if the home itself is in a poor state. Cold creeping into certain areas of the property will provide little defense against the freezing weather; but the good news is, there are steps you can take – both short term and long.
According to the Met Office, the best step you can take is, of course, insulation. Whether that’s cavity wall, loft, or resealing windows, it’s the most effective way to keep heat in and cold out. Not everyone will have the time or resources for that, however, and so some other steps you can take include using draught excluders, insulating hot water pipes and cylinders, and investing in thick rugs and throws to help insulate the home. There’s an economic benefit here, too, that can help to reduce stress. Indeed, a report by the Surrey Lib Dems estimates that poorly insulated homes are costing Surrey residents £240m a year in wasted energy bills.
A few steps can go a long way to banishing the feelings of cold and sadness associated with winter, and bringing in warmth. That can be crucial in maintaining mental health, and pushing back against the encroaching issues that winter brings. Making small changes can come together to be more than the sum of their parts.
