National Stress Awareness Day: Wednesday 4 November

The first Wednesday in November each year is National Stress Awareness Day. 

We all know what it is like to feel stressed – being under pressure is usually a normal part of life. But this year more than ever, especially as we head into another national lockdown, some of us are finding ourselves overwhelmed by stress. This can lead to mental health problems or exacerbate existing problems, cause exhaustion, physical illness and impact on every aspect of your life.

Following on from our recent “Do One Thing” initiative for World Mental Health Day we wanted to shift our focus specifically to workplace wellbeing. National Stress Awareness Day is a great opportunity to take a moment to think about our wellbeing and find advice or support on managing stress.

Here are a few ideas to help you think about what you can do to support your own wellbeing and that of your colleagues:

Working from home tips

As we enter another national lockdown many of us are once again working from home, or are continuing to work from home. The implications of this on our wellbeing are far reaching as our work/ life balance becomes harder to maintain. It is important to try to implement ways to separate the two areas of your life especially if over time you realise you have become less disciplined, for example not taking regular breaks, getting outside for fresh air, eating properly and finishing on time.

Check out our top tips for working from home.

Maintaining good communication with your colleagues

By now many of us are set up to work from home and communicate with colleagues on a daily basis through the wonders of Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc. But many of us are missing the face-to-face interaction and the moments of chat throughout the day. If you notice that one of your colleagues has become increasing withdrawn why not drop them a message and check how they are? Sometimes a quick hello can make all the difference. If you are feeling isolated and missing your colleagues why not suggest a shared lunch break or afternoon tea via zoom, or is there an evening activity you can all get involved in?

Create a (virtual) stress awareness space

For us to maintain our wellbeing, noticing what is making us stressed helps us learn how we can deal with it. This is particularly important when it relates to our workload and our working relationships, both of which are common causes of stress. It may not be so easy if you are working from home but Manchester Mind encourage organisations to create a Stress Awareness Space, where staff can share their thoughts and feelings when they are feeling stressed and share coping strategies.

Even if this is done virtually it can make a huge difference sharing how you are feeling with friends and colleagues. By sharing you could get some great advice and tips or find you can support other colleagues who need help (like sharing some of the ideas listed here).

Workplace wellbeing training

Manchester Mind want to ensure that mental health problems are not a barrier to someone having a productive and fulfilling work life. We also want to ensure that everyone working across Manchester has support for their mental wellbeing. Employers are increasingly recognising the need for mental health training for their teams.

Why not become a workplace wellbeing champion? We can help you through our range of courses which include Mental Health Awareness, Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health Taster for Managers.

And with the focus this month on stress awareness we would like to offer a discounted rate on our course Finding a Healthy Balance: Managing Stress, and Building Healthy Habits

This online course provides an introduction to wellbeing and some basic strategies for achieving balance and managing stress in your own lives
Available for up to 16 participants at the reduced rate of £200 plus VAT for all bookings in November and December 2020.

Book via the link or email training for further information.

Looking after your own wellbeing

Back in March our staff suggested various ways to help maintain your wellbeing including online courses, how to get active, meditation activities, TV and film suggestions.

You can read through them all here

You can find out more about stress and how to manage stress via the Mind website

If you are struggling and are not sure where to turn for help please contact us on 0161 769 5732. You can find out more about our current services here.

If you need to talk to someone confidentially you can call national Mind on 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday) or access other immediate help