Stress Awareness Month – #LeadWithLove (April 2025)

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Tip#1: Practice self-compassion: Treat yourself with the same kindness you would offer a friend!
 
Stress Awareness Month has returned with this year’s theme being #LeadWithLove, encouraging us to try to approach stressful situations, ourselves, and others with compassion, kindness, understanding and acceptance.
Choosing self-compassion can help you ease the challenging situation, and make a difference to how you feel and react in the moment.
You may find this difficult to do at the beginning, especially if you’re prone to being hard on yourself, but with a bit of practice, you may just find that this is a technique that works for you.
 
We don’t always get to take time for self-care, but we can find tiny moments amidst challenging times when we can pause and choose to be compassionate towards ourselves. Even a minute can make a big difference.
 
How to practice self-compassion:
  • Treat yourself with kindness. If this were a friend, what would you say to them?
  • Acknowledge your feelings without judgement. They show up for a reason. What is that feeling trying to tell you?
  • Don’t judge yourself. Mistakes are a natural part of our lives, especially when you are juggling multiple tasks. Mistakes are there to teach us. What can you do differently next time?
  • Remember you are not alone. We all go through tough times, and it’s okay to ask for help. Who could you contact?
  • Consider your needs. How can I help myself, what would make me feel better now?
We are all different, so not all techniques work for everyone. Should you give practicing self-compassion a try, please share your experience with us by emailing centre@centralcarers.co.uk or commenting on the Self-compassion Facebook, Instagram or X post. 
Find more tips on how to manage stress here: https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/stress/
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Tip#2: Self-help techniques – find what works for you!

Self-help techniques are great for reducing stress, but they’re not a one-size-fits-all approach. We are all unique, and just because something works for some people, it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the right technique for you, too. Therefore, it’s important to experiment so you can find what you like and what helps you.

Some things you could try:

  1. Meditations: https://www.england.nhs.uk/supporting-our-nhs-people/support-now/wellbeing-apps/bright-sky/calm-amongst-chaos/
  2. Breathwork: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/breathing-exercises-for-stress/
  3. Regular physical activity and being outside when possible. What do you enjoy?
  4. Hobbies if your time allows
  5. Practical things NHS recommends:
    • Splitting up big tasks into manageable chunks
    • Planning ahead whenever possible
  6. CBT self-help techniques for reducing stress: https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/self-help-cbt-techniques/

Additionally, you may want to check out this guide produced by the Mental Health Foundation ‘How to manage and reduce stress, which contains tips on how to manage stress and protect your mental health.

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Tip#3 Talk to someone

When you are under a lot of stress, the struggle can be isolating and tiresome to the extent that reaching out to someone is the last thing you may feel like doing.

But even just a casual chat with friends and/or family, a friendly neighbour or a nice colleague, can make the difference to how you feel and help you cope better.

It may be that you don’t have trusted friends or family whom you could turn to, and it can feel like you are all alone. It’s completely natural to feel this way, especially under the demands of a caring role. But know this, you are not alone. Many helplines and charities are there to support you.

You can also get in touch with one of our Adult Carer Support Workers, who can refer you to our Telephone Support Team, who provide emotional support to carers.

We also have various carer groups you may be able to join. Check out our What’s on page or speak to one of the Adult Carer Support Workers in Falkirk or Clackmannanshire from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9.30 am to 4 pm to find the right one for you.

  • Falkirk Adult Carer Support  on 01324 611510 (Option 4)
  • Clackmannanshire Adult Carer Support on 01324 611510 (Option 2)

Here are some FREE Helplines you may find helpful:

And here are some FREE social gatherings you may consider joining:

Falkirk area:

Clackmannanshire:

Check out these pages for some events happening near you and our What’s on page to find something you like:

Independant Living Fund update

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We are delighted to announce that the Independent Living Fund (ILF) has fully re-opened to new applicants.

Applications to the re-opened fund should be submitted by local authority social work departments on behalf of disabled people in Scotland. ILF have issued guidance and information to all local authorities to assist them with this process.

When submitting an application, the local authority will need to make sure that a potential recipient meets the following Access Principles:

  • The person lives in Scotland.
  • They are aged 16 years or over at the time of application.
  • They access Self-Directed Support.
  • They receive a net weekly budget of at least £800 per week.

All submitted applications will be assessed by ILF Scotland. The maximum award that ILF Scotland is able to pay is £330 per week. Any funding awarded by ILF Scotland will be additional and complementary to the statutory funding provided by a person’s Local Authority.

If you meet the access principles outlined above and would like to consider applying to the fund, you should contact your local authority. You can see the contact details for your local authority on a dedicated website page.

Find out more at ILF’s website.

Website feedback survey

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We know that our website is one of the main ways that you interact with us, and we’re now looking for some feedback on it – what you like, what you don’t like, what’s missing, and more.

It should only take a few minutes to complete the survey, and your feedback really is vital to help us make sure that our website is the best resource it can be!

You can complete the survey using this link: form.jotform.com/CentralCarers/website-feedback-survey-2022.

 

Care with Confidence

Care with Confidence – Power of Attorney Information Sessions

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What would you do if the person you care for lost the capacity to make decisions on their own?

Come along to find out about:

  • Incapacity and how this could impact on your caring responsibilities
  • How being granted Power of Attorney could help you in your caring role
  • Applying for Legal Aid to cover or subsidise any associated costs

 Where and When: 

Falkirk

 1a Bank Street, Falkirk, FK1 1NB

 

Mon 09 April                   3.00 pm

Wed 16 May                   11.00 am

Mon 04 June                    3.00 pm

Tues 24 July                    2.00 pm

Tues 07 Aug                   11.00 am

Tues 18 Sept                  11.00 am

Mon 08 Oct                      2.00 pm

Mon 12 Nov                     2.00 pm

Mon 10 Dec                    11.00 am

 

 

To book:    Tel: 01324 611510     or
Email: centre@centralcarers.org

 

 

 Clackmannanshire

 Ludgate House, Alloa FK10 2AD

 

Thurs 19 April                 2.30 pm

 Mon 28 May                     2.30 pm

 Tues 17 July                    1.30 pm

 Thurs 30 Aug                  1.30 pm

 Tues 09 Oct                     1.30 pm

 Mon 19 Nov                    10.00 am

 

 

 

 

 

To book:    Tel: 01259 226838    or
Email: ianmccourt@centralcarers.org

 

 
   

       

Carers Newsletter, Winter 2017

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The Carers Centre newsletter, Winter edition, has been sent out to carers and organisations who are on our mailing list to receive information by post or email. You can also view or download the newsletter by clicking here.