Stress at work

Hi all….we took the Christmas and first 2 months to consider this article and feel it appropriate to discuss Stress at work and how we might change that for the better.

It’s inevitable really that there will be ‘stressful’ days; weeks etc – short term small stints of stress are not detrimental to our health and can actually keep us alert / aware of our priorities and goals. In our first article (Oct 2018, What is Stress) we talked about this and the fact that it’s the amount and consistency of stress that can lead us into difficult mental health issues.

Certainly for instance not starting our day off right can cause us to have a stressful day….woke up late, missed train/bus; got caught in rain or had poor sleep – and again we appreciate that this happens – but constant stress in work can lead to a very daunting future and ultimately an unhappy employee experience

In actual fact, last Nov 2018, the Irish Times published an article that stated over 20% of the workforce experience stress either always or most of the time – and in some sectors we think this may even be higher.

As above, not starting the day right; eating the wrong foods and not looking after yourself can cause us to fall deeper under the spell of stress

The HSA Ireland published an article basically outlining what it is; how it can be caused, the responsibility of the employer and then most importantly ways to mitigate stressful moments in work.

As we always say; we spend most of our time working so we might as well attempt to enjoy it where we can…

You might say – I’m not stressed just busy but how do you recognise the signs:

moodiness
anxiety
sleep difficulty
always feeling ‘on’
working long hours without nutrition /water

The American psychological journal had a number of ways that you can attempt to reduce stress at work and although there’s some work on your part to complete we feel at Mental Health Guys that it’s worth considering some of them along with 1/2 of our own suggestions:

take a journal of your stressors over 2 weeks – write down when you feel it and learn to recognise it…
take time to switch off – recharge; do the things that make you feel good and relaxed
leave phone / electronic device outside of your bedroom – kitchen, hall etc. Be careful not to leave plugged in…as in one of our previous blogs the blue light can really affect our natural sleep pattern and balance
be organised – in advance – speaks for itself really!!
avoid conflict if possible where possible and if required maintain facts and focus
start your day right – good breakfast, plan ahead for commute/journey, good night sleep and learn to smile at others to appreciate the good out there

All in all, we spend most of our time at work; therefore it’s important to attempt to reduce the stressors. Life can be busy and stressful enough so let’s all try to help each other have more positive experiences.

Till next time, look after each other and yourselves.

By The MentalHealthGuys

The MentalHealthGuys are 2 average young 30 something guys with 3 and 4 children, loving partners and regular private sector jobs. They were driven to start writing about mental health – not only in men but across the adult population because THERE IS SOOOOO much info out there but in lots or articles/studies/events etc. – they wanted to bring some of that great info into to one place. We also want our readers to know that we are not trying to provide solutions to mental health issues or ‘cure’ any disorders/illness. We are merely trying to provide some useful info, hints and tips that may exist in the online/scientific/ public domain and that others may find interesting. Its apparent in today’s day and age that our generation and the next is extremely self-aware of how they are feeling and what they can do to alleviate some of those ‘stress’ causes. IN fact, a recent article from Barnes and Noble (a book store in North America) has said that the sale of books related to anxiety is up 25% - clearly showing that people are more and more interested in self-help/self-diagnosis. One key point that we would like to make very clearly is that if you are feeling down, anxious, or that you need to speak to someone that the first port of call is to speak to a professional. Whether that is through your employee support line in your job, your GP or even a friend – the key is that it is important to speak up and seek assistance – the top CEO of the worlds largest organisations didn’t navigate the business/personal world or get to where they are with no help – so why should the average individual expect themselves to do the same. We hope you enjoy reading our blogs over the next few months; we really appreciate any feedback or suggestions for topics you may have. Look after yourselves and most importantly your mental health - #MentalHealthGuys #talkthetalk #listen Top 4 Support services based on public awareness available in Ireland (source: Jan 2007 National Office for Suicide Prevention @ the HSE) - Samaritans - Aware - Mental Health Ireland - Grow