Happy and healthy employees are more productive and take fewer sick daysResearch conducted by Bupa reveals that 51% of workers cannot sleep due to work stress, with 29% saying that they have never been more stressed at work.
Let’s have a look at the factors contributing to these figures and how crucial it is for employers to provide comprehensive support for their hardworking teams, both at leadership and worker level.
The apparent rise in stress levels is attributed to greater acceptance and open discussions about mental health issues. The increased openness with which people are sharing how they feel provides an opportunity for businesses to implement a mental wellbeing programme to ensure their workers receive the support they need.
Our contemporary workplaces are dynamic, diverse cultures. It is estimated that one in four people will experience mental health issues and there is no single solution for stress and anxiety reduction that can be applied across the board. It is important for employers to instigate their own stress reduction strategies that best support their office culture and team.
Effective strategies focus on critical elements such as early intervention and ensuring the outdated stigma associated with mental health challenges is replaced with clear avenues of support. These preventative and supportive measures encourage faster recovery and improved wellbeing.
We spend nearly two-thirds of our waking lives at work. Our feelings towards our workplace and work will have a meaningful influence on our mental health and wellbeing. Common symptoms of anxiety and depression include tearfulness, exhaustion, feeling drained, poor concentration, irritability, substance dependence, and low moods.
Adopting a holistic approach to our health is a great start, with successful people recognising that their health and vitality depend on tending to both their mental and physical health. Here are 10 helpful tips to get you started:
1. Write down what you are worrying about. Putting your anxieties into words helps to create separation, providing space for you to form solutions that include seeking help.
2. Don’t avoid situations that make you feel anxious. Find support and confront what makes you feel stressed.
3. Shift your focus away from the habit of worrying and focus on what you have achieved.
4. Don’t compare yourself to unrealistic standards.
5. Concentrate your efforts on what you are good at and develop the areas in which you feel vulnerable.
6. Make your health a priority: rest well, eat well, drink less alcohol and get some exercise to take advantage of those feel-good endorphins.
7. Create a balance between meeting your commitments and taking time out to unwind.
8. Be kind to yourself.
9. When you complete a task, take a few moments’ pause before beginning the next item on your list.
10. There is no need to suffer in silence. Most of us know exactly how you feel and there is lots of support available.
There has never been a better time to reach out and seek help for depression and anxiety. As overwhelming as depression and anxiety may feel, there is a clear path towards a full recovery mapped out by the increased dialogue and dismantling of stigmas surrounding mental health.
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