1.1 Capacity to cope
One way of thinking about your capacity to cope is to regard your capacity as a bucket, and day-to-day stressors as water. As water starts to fill the bucket, eventually it will overflow and so the bucket’s capacity has been reached. Similarly with your own capacities, if you keep taking on more and more, you will eventually no longer be able to cope, or to continue taking on the support needs of others.
To be able to retain some capacity, you need to be able to allow some of the stressors to be dissipated or to ‘flow out’, as in the bucket image above. This can be achieved through many different types of activities that enable you to manage stress, such as engaging in hobbies, spending time with friends, or taking ‘time out’.
Watch MindWell’s ‘Stress Bucket’ video to better understand its function.
Transcript
Stress is something that we all experience sometimes. When problems and pressures get too much, we can start to feel overwhelmed and struggle to cope. Everyday pressures like work, money, and family worries can place huge demands on us. As can big life events, like losing your job, family breakdown, or the death of someone close.
The stress bucket is a helpful way of thinking about your problems and finding different ways of looking at what’s causing your stress. Imagine that you carry a bucket with you. As the day goes by, different problems and demands fill up your bucket. When your bucket overflows, the stress can make you angry, anxious, or sad. The good news is, there are things that you can do to manage these problems and stop your bucket overflowing.
Try and exercise a bit more, eat well, and get more sleep. Get support by talking to someone you trust and telling them how you feel. Make a list to help break problems down and think about your priorities, what smaller tasks should you tackle first. Try the relaxation ideas on the MindWell website, take a short break, practice breathing techniques, and find the things that work for you.
Making these small changes can feel good, like turning on a tap to release some of the pressure you’re feeling. Explore the MindWell website for more helpful tools and ideas for coping with stress and keeping your buckets from overflowing.