3 Minute Wonder in association with Mind mental health charity

Issue 1

3 Minute Wonder; beating stress related illnesses

MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK

ence depression, anxiety or stress 1 in 6 workers experi in the workplace.

- Thats the elephant in the room -

3 Minute Wonder in association with Mind mental health charity

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- What is stress? We all sometimes talk about stress, and feeling stressed, usually when we feel we have too much to do and too much on our minds, or other people are making unreasonable demands on us, or we are dealing with situations that we do not have control over. Stress is not a medical diagnosis, but severe stress that continues for a long time may lead to a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, or more severe mental health problems. You can reduce the effects of stress by being more conscious of the things that cause it, and learning to handle them better, using relaxation techniques as well as other lifestyle changes. Many of lifes demands can cause stress, particularly work, relationships and money problems. And, when you feel stressed, it can get in the way of sorting out these demands, or can even affect everything you do. Stress can affect how you feel, think, behave and how your body works. In fact, common signs of stress include sleeping problems, sweating, loss of appetite and difficulty concentrating. You may feel anxious, irritable or low in self esteem. You may have racing thoughts, worry constantly or go over things in your head. You may notice that you lose your temper easily and drink more or act unreasonably. Stress causes a surge of hormones in your body. These stress hormones are released to enable you to deal with pressures or threats the so called fight or flight response. Once the pressure or threat has passed, your stress hormone levels will usually return to normal. However, if youre constantly under stress, these hormones will remain in your body, leading to the symptoms of stress.

What is s tre s s ?

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- What causes stress Threat A perceived threat will lead a person to feel stressed. This can include physical threats, social threats, financial threat, and so on. In particular it will be worse when the person feels they have no response that can reduce the threat, as this affects the need for a sense of control. Generally speaking, any threat to needs is likely to lead to stress being experienced. Fear Threat can lead to fear, which again leads to stress. Fear leads to imagined outcomes, which are the real source of stress. Uncertainty When we are not certain, we are unable to predict, and hence feel we are not in control, and hence may feel fear or feel threatened by that which is causing the uncertainty. Cognitive dissonance When there is a gap between what we do and what we think, then we experience cognitive dissonance, which is felt as stress. Thus, if I think I am a nice person then do something that hurts someone else, I will experience dissonance and stress. Dissonance also occurs when we cannot meet our commitments. Stress at work The main six key stress factors: - The demands of the job. - The control staff have over how they do their work. - The support they receive from colleagues and superiors. - Their relationships with colleagues Whether they understand their roles and responsibilities. - How far the company consults staff over workplace changes. Other stress indicators at work include: - Sickness absence. - High staff turnover. - Poor communication between teams - Bullying - Lack of feedback on performance - Value and contribution - Technological change - Lack of clarity of roles and responsibilities - Dissatisfaction and no benefits - Working long hours - Boring and mundane work - One-off incidents - Uncomfortable workplace - Lack of training

What c aus e s s tre s s ?

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- How to identify stress If youre not sure whats causing your stress, keep a diary and make a note of stressful episodes for two-to-four weeks. Then review it to spot the triggers. Things you might want to write down include: - The date, time and place of a stressful episode - What you were doing - Who you were with - How you felt emotionally - What you were thinking - What you started doing - How you felt physically - A stress rating (0-10 where 10 is the most stressed you could ever feel) You can use a diary to: - Work out what triggers your stress - Work out how you operate under pressure - Develop better coping mechanisms - Doctors sometimes recommend keeping a stress diary to help them diagnose stress. If you record your own reactions, you can get an idea of your personal responses to stress. This can help you recognise signs of stress coming on, in the future

How to id e ntify s tre s s

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- Identifying Stress How you may feel

- Irritable - Aggressive - Depressed - Fearing failure - Dreading the future - A loss of interest in others - Taking no interest in life - Neglected - That theres no-one to confide in - A loss of sense of humour - Bad or ugly - Fearful that you are seriously ill

How your body may react

- Fast shallow breathing - Headaches - Constant tiredness - Restkessness - Sleeping problems - Tendency to sweat - Nervous twitches - Cramps or muscle spasms - Pins and needles - High blood pressure - Feeling sick or dizzy - Constipation or diarrhoea - Craving for food - Indigestion or heartburn - Lack of appetite - Sexual difficulties - Fainting - Chest Pains - Grinding your teeth at night

How you may behave

- Finding it difficult to make decisions - Finding it difficult to concentrate - Denying theres a problem - Avoiding difficult situations - Frequently crying - Biting your nails - Unable to show your true feelings - Being very snappy or aggressive - Finding it difficult to talk to others

Id e ntify ing s tre s s

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- The effects of stress Stress is a normal part of life. Many events that happen to you and around you -- and many things that you do yourself -- put stress on your body. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts. The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger. Stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the person becomes overworked and stress-related tension builds. Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress - a negative stress reaction. Distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. Research suggests that stress also can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases. Stress also becomes harmful when people use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to try and relieve their stress. Unfortunately, instead of relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances tend to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems. Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

T he e ffe c ts o f s tre s s

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- Is stress harmful? Stress can have a positive side. A certain level of stress may be necessary and enjoyable in order to help you prepare for something or to actually do it. Our physical reactions to stress are determined by our biological history and the need to respond to sudden dangers that threatened us when we were still hunters and gatherers. In this situation, the response to danger was fight or flight. Our bodies still respond in this way, releasing the hormones adrenaline and cortisol Adrenaline The release of adrenaline causes rapid changes to your blood flow and increases your breathing and heart rate, to get you ready to defend yourself (fight) or to run away (flight). You become pale, sweat more and your mouth becomes dry. Your body responds in this way to all types of stress as if it were a physical threat. You may merely be having an argument with someone, but your body may react as though you were facing a wolf. If the threat is physical, you use the effects of the adrenaline appropriately to fight or to run, and when the danger is passed your body recovers. But if the stress is emotional, the effects of adrenaline subside more slowly, and you may go on feeling agitated for a long time. If the causes of stress are long-term, you may always be tensed up to deal with them and never relaxed. This is very bad for both your physical and your mental health. Cortisol The other stress hormone, cortisol, is present in your body all the time, but levels increase in response to danger and stress. In the short-term, its effects are positive, to help you deal with an immediate crisis, but long-term stress means that cortisol builds up and creates a number of stress-related health problems. Peoples tolerance of stress varies. A situation that is intolerable to one person may be stimulating to another. What you feel is determined not just by events and changes in the outside world, but how you perceive and respond to them. The important point is that you can learn to recognise your own responses to stress and develop skills to deal with it well.

Is s tre s s har mful?

3 Minute Wonder in association with Mind mental health charity

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Stress can result in more headaches as a result of the body rerouting blood flow to other parts of the body.

Chronic stress decreases the bodys immune systems response to infection and can affect a persons response to immunizations. Stress balls work by massaging acupuncture points in the hand

Scientists suggest that stress is part of the evolutionary drive because it has enabled humans to survive. Specifically, stress temporarily increases awareness and improves physical performance.

Stress; The Silent Killer

Emp loye e fac ts & s tatis tic s

3 Minute Wonder in association with Mind mental health charity

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Emp loye e fac ts & s tatis tic s

3 Minute Wonder in association with Mind mental health charity

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Emp loye r fac ts & s tatis tic s

3 Minute Wonder in association with Mind mental health charity

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Emp loye r fac ts & s tatis tic s

for better mental health

De s igne d by Nathan Bo lto n