Help to Manage and Reduce Stress
Stress is how we react when we feel under pressure or threatened. It usually happens when we are in a situation that we don't feel we can manage or control.
When is stress a problem? Sometimes, a small amount of stress can help us to complete tasks and feel more energised. But stress can become a problem when it lasts for a long time or is very intense. In some cases, stress can affect our physical and mental health.
What causes stress? We can experience stress in many ways, you might feel stressed because of one big event or situation in your life. Or it might be a build-up of lots of smaller things. A key point to remember is we all experience stress in different ways and be mindful of this when talking with others about stress.
Example causes of stress:
- Work related: volume of work too high, feeling unclear about role and responsibilities, lack of support in the workplace.
- Illness or injury
- Pregnancy and becoming a parent
- Infertility and problems having children
- Bereavement
- Difficult or break down of a relationships with spouses, children, parents
- Organising events such as getting married or civil partnered, house move, even a holiday!
- Being a carer
- Money worries/managing debt
- Living through a stressful community-wide, national or global event, like the coronavirus pandemic
If you are stressed, you might feel:
- Irritable, angry, impatient or wound up
- Over-burdened or overwhelmed
- Anxious, nervous or afraid
- Like your thoughts are racing and you can't switch off
- Unable to enjoy yourself
- Depressed
- Uninterested in life
- Like you've lost your sense of humour
- A sense of dread
- Worried or tense
- Neglected or lonely
- Existing mental health problems getting worse
Work related stress
Everyone can face pressure at work, regardless of age, experience or job title. Sometimes pressure can motivate and make us more productive. However, too much pressure can become stressful and affect our happiness and quality of life, leaving us feeling physically and mentally unwell.
There are many factors that can cause stress at work, these can include:
- too many or conflicting demands
- poor working conditions
- little control over how and when work is done or decision making
- lack of support or encouragement from managers and others at work
- bullying and conflict at work, particularly if these are not managed well
- not having enough training or skills to do a job
- feeling unclear about roles and responsibilities
- low trust and not feeling able to speak up about concerns
- change within the organisation
Support for Stress at Work
If you are experiencing stress at work, it is important to talk to someone, the initial person being your line manager. Talk to them as early as possible as this will give them chance to help and support the situation. You may be signposted to the following services for support:
Employee Assistance Programme ‘Health Hero’: a confidential and independent telephone counselling service and information service inclusive of a Wellbeing Hub. Support is free and confidential.
Occupational Health: this service offers a referral process for support and advice on physical or mental wellbeing problems is impacting an individual. You can find out more here.
Your GP: contacting your GP to discuss your current experiences of stress is important to access support and interventions that can help.
If you do not feel about to talk to your line manager about how you are feeling at this time, you could talk to:
- trade union representative
- People and Organisational Development Partner for your area
View the drop down boxes below for help and advice on what steps you can take to help reduce stress.
Consider what you need to look after yourself
Often when we are stressed we neglect the activities that help make us feel well: focus on taking breaks during work and prioritising time outside of work to relax, look after your physical health including sleep, physical activity, eating a balanced diet, being aware of your time spent on screens and social media, do something that you enjoy (cooking a meal, trying a new hobby or picking up an old hobby, listening to music, having a bath, spending time with animals, spending time in nature, spend time connecting with people who give you energy).
Tell Someone
It can be difficult opening up to someone and talking about how you are feeling but this can be a helpful first step: talk to a family member, a friend, your line manager, a trusted colleague or a professional support service such as the Employee Assistance Programme ‘Health Hero’ which is available to all staff or your GP.
Discuss priorities and who can help support you
Make a list of ‘personal’ related priorities with a family member/friend. Have a conversation with your line manager about ‘work’ priorities and what additional support you need.
Focus on what you can control
Once you are more aware of what is causing you stress, taking steps to work out what is within your control and what's not can be very beneficial.
For example, you may not have much/any control over what hours or days you work, but you do have control over prioritising taking breaks, organsing your annual leave, how you fuel your body thorughout the day, how much screen time you have.
In your personal life, you can control fundamental choices that contribute to how well you feel: what time you go to bed, how much time you spend on your phone screen/watching TV, what food you fuel your body with, your caffiene intake, alcohol intake, how much time you spend outside in fresh air.