Mental health trainer dad’s stress education
Difference from anxiety explained
WE must not confuse stress with anxiety.
That is the message from mental health trainer Ian Hurst from Fareham.
The dad-of-two, who runs We Are Hummingbird which does mental health training, is on a mission to educate people about whether they are feeling stress or anxiety as a new year begins.
The 38-year-old said: ‘People think they need to get rid of all their stress and that we shouldn’t have it but that is not the case.
‘We all have stress about different things but it is about how we manage it and use it.
‘Everyone has a container, all different shapes and sizes, and I visualise stress as different-sized balls that go into the container. For example thousands of pounds worth of debt would be a beach ball and your mum coming over for a dinner that she may criticise would be a marble.
‘All these balls go into the container because they are things that are happening, you can put them in the diary. Anxiety is worrying about the what ifs, the things that have not happened and there is no evidence they will definitely happen.
‘When we run training sessions we get people to think about the differences so they can start to deal with their feelings in different ways.’
Ian started up the organisation in 2019 after leaving his corporate insurance job in London in 2018 when he broke down in tears but, after being sent on a mental health first aid course, realised he had found his passion.
He has since worked with Solent Mind, the Royal Navy and also teamed up with fellow mental health nonprofit Panic Loves Company to create a six-part YouTube series.
The latter featured music scene veterans DJ Fat Tony and O Beach co-owner, Tony Truman, who shared their first-hand experiences of the psychological toll the party lifestyle can take.
Model Demi Rose also provided a heartfelt account of grief after losing both her parents.
Ian added: ‘Life at the moment is difficult for many but making those first steps to deal with that difference between stress and anxiety can really help.’
Andrea Rollinson, counsellor at Solent NHS Trust, said: ‘There are many ways in which we can balance out some stress, including avoiding unhealthy habits, challenging yourself and having some “me time’’’.