91ÖÆƬ³§

 

Last updated 14 August 2025

Take a few moments with these tips from our psychosocial and mental health team.

 

Anyone who has looked at the news lately may understandably be feeling rather overwhelmed. Whether it's climate or conflict in the headlines, the state of the world feels fragile right now. 

The C.A.L.M.E.R. approach is a useful acronym developed by the 91ÖÆƬ³§â€™ psychosocial and mental health team. Using it will enable you to easily remember a few healthy steps you can take when you or someone you know feels anxious or helpless. It’s a very effective way to help reduce stress.

Whether you're feeling anxious or you simply aren't quite sure what you're feeling at the moment, take a few moments for yourself and read on... 

Consider your own needs, and those closest to you

This is particularly important if you are caring for others. You will only be able to care for others as best you can if you are also looking after your own physical and mental health too. Be prepared for your own resilience to fluctuate – everyone’s will.

 

Acknowledge the source of stress, and how it impacts upon you

Identifying an issue is the first step in fixing it. If it’s spending too much time reading news on social media or something closer to home, limit your time spent scrolling.

Dedicate some time each day (or however often you find most helpful) to catch up with the day’s events, rather than oversaturating yourself by keeping up to date with every bulletin or story update. From a news perspective, gather your information from trusted sources and your local authority’s platforms, to help you to distinguish facts from rumours.

 

Listen to how you’re feeling mentally and physically

It's normal to become frustrated, angry or lonely from time to time, and it's no bad thing to admit that to yourself. 

These are all completely reasonable things to be feeling, so don’t berate yourself if you’re having a bad day.

 

Manage ways to manage your stress and regain control

If you’re currently working from home, try to take the same breaks you would if you were at your normal place of work. Similarly, it’s easy to forget to stop working at the end of the day, so try to set yourself a dedicated time for when it’s time to down tools and start with the rest of your day or evening.

Remember the six important Rs of resilience: responsibility, reflection, relaxation, relationships, refuelling, and recreation.

 

Enable – what has enabled you to cope with stress in the past?

We all have activities or interests we like to spend time on when we’re feeling overwhelmed. Engaging in activities that you enjoy and find relaxing, such as exercise, will help you keep a sense of normality about your day and help you to keep things in perspective.

Remember that it’s natural for news outlets to focus on the scary stories, or the stories most likely to receive clicks, but that there are plenty of stories of people doing kind things and supporting others, too. 

Resource – what do you need to put steps in place?

Think practically here. We all have different needs and preferences. Think about the resources you need that will help with all of the above.

Is it input from friends and family? Is it more alone time, particularly if you spend your days in close proximity to the other members of your household?

You may take some time to get it right - but do take the time to find a balance.