Stress Awareness Month
April marks Stress Awareness month and WeST would like to take the opportunity to highlight some materials available to you as valued colleagues. Stress can be personal or can be professional, however at times in our lives it is important to know what triggers and strategies may support us.
WeST continues to work with various providers, some tools to consider:
- The staff portal contains a wealth of wellbeing information and resources.
- Care First offering specialist information via webinars and wellbeing articles.
- Check your stress container at MHFA
- Consider the strategies from Able Futures
Below we have included some information for your refence and hope you find this beneficial.
Stress Container
MHFA provide a short online interactive tool to explore the items which fill our stress container, the unhelpful coping methods which may be blocking us, and the helpful coping methods which release our stress.
Visit the site to check your stress container: Click here
Care First
Stress can be a misused word. In our busy working day we often refer to the day to day working environment and all that it entails, as stress, when we actually mean pressure. We are under pressure to do our job well, to deliver on our commitments, to meet deadlines and to cope with the ever changing demands on us. This is normal within
the working environment and the working day.
We need a certain amount of pressure to energise and motivate us. It helps us get things done!
Stress is different from pressure. Stress is an on-going pressure that keeps building to a level where day to day work may become unmanageable. This can result in increased absenteeism which in turn may add pressure to those still working. When you feel you are struggling and under pressure, it is important to speak to your manager and explain how you are feeling, and together, look at ways of improving where possible, your working pattern, your planning and organisation.
There are many ways in which your manager can help and support you and so do speak with them and give them the opportunity to help.
Existing mental health issues can also become a source of stress in themselves, for example, those living with an anxiety disorder and/or depression can be more prone to stress as they try to manage their day to day conditions. Those who are perhaps more vulnerable are more likely to develop mental health issues and illnesses when high stress levels are present. So, given that, what can we do about it?
The key is to help people examine the factors that make them vulnerable and encouraging them to look for positive ways to change them.
Helpful coping strategies
- Make time for yourself for positive experiences
- Get enough rest
- Talk to someone
- Take exercise and get fresh air
- Keep hydrated
- Remember you are not alone
- Be kind to yourself
All these things appear so simple, but when one feels overwhelmed it is difficult to see a clear way forward. There is one, we just need to believe that.
What might stop you from moving forward? Is it fear or uncertainty? Can you give it a name? It is okay to ask for help, and it is okay not to be okay!
Pressure is part of our usual everyday lives, but we need to manage our healthy levels of pressure effectively to prevent it having a detrimental impact on our wellbeing by turning in to stress. Stress is real and should not be ignored. It can however, “be managed”.
If you wish to contact the Care first telephone counselling and information line then please don’t hesitate to call, you can speak to a professional in confidence.
The Care First Lifestyle website has a section on stress. If you would like to learn more then please visit the Care First Lifestyle website:
Able Futures