3 minute wonder newspaper

7/30/2019 3 minute wonder newspaper

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- That s the e lephant in the room -

MENTAL HEALTH ATWORK1in6workersexperiencedepressio

n, anxietyorstress

intheworkplace.

3 Minute Wonder; beating stress related illnesses

3 Minute Wonder in association with Mind mental health charity Issue 1


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3 Minute Wonder in association with Mind mental health charity Page 1

Wh at is st re ss ?

- What i s stress? -

We all sometimes talk about stress, and feeling stressed, usually whenwe 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 fora long time may lead to a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, or moresevere 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 relaxationtechniques as well as other lifestyle changes.

Many of lifes demands can cause stress, particularly work, relationshipsand 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 difculty 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 noticethat 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 socalled ght or ight response.

Once the pressure or threat has passed, your stress hormone levels willusually return to normal. However, if youre constantly under stress, these

hormones will remain in your body, leading to the symptoms of stress.


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Wh at ca us es st re ss ?

- What cause s stress -

ThreatA perceived threat will lead aperson to feel stressed. This can

include physical threats, social

threats, nancial threat, and so

on. In particular it will be worsewhen the person feels they have

no response that can reduce thethreat, as this affects the need for

a sense of control.

Generally speaking, any threatto needs is likely to lead to stress

being experienced.

FearThreat can lead to fear, which

again leads to stress. Fear leads toimagined outcomes, which are the

real source of stress.

Uncertainty

When we are not certain, we areunable to predict, and hence feelwe are not in control, and hence

may feel fear or feel threatened

by that which is causing theuncertainty.

Cognitive dissonanceWhen 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 wecannot meet our commitments.

Stress at workThe main six key stress factors:- The demands of the job.

- The control staff have over howthey do their work.

- The support they receive fromcolleagues and superiors.

- Their relationships with

colleagues

Whether they understand their rolesand responsibilities.

- How far the company consultsstaff over workplace changes.

Other stress indicators at workinclude:

- 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 benets

- Working long hours

- Boring and mundane work

- One-off incidents

- Uncomfortable workplace

- Lack of training


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How to ident i fy s t ress

If youre not sure whats causing your stress, keep a diary and make anote 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 comingon, in the future

- How to ident i fy stress -


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Ident i fy ing s t ress

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 difculties

- Fainting

- Chest Pains

- Grinding your teeth at night

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 conde in

- A loss of sense of humour

- Bad or ugly

- Fearful that you are seriously ill

How you may behave

- Finding it difcult to make

decisions

- Finding it difcult to concentrate- Denying theres a problem

- Avoiding difcult situations

- Frequently crying

- Biting your nails

- Unable to show your true feelings

- Being very snappy or aggressive

- Finding it difcult to talk to others

- Ident i fy ing Stress -


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The e f fects of s t ress

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 yourbody. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and

your thoughts.

The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stresscan be positive, keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger. Stress

becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges withoutrelief 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, chestpain, 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 agingprocess. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more

vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

- The e f fects of stress -


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Is s t ress harmful ?

Stress can have a positive side. A certain level of stress may benecessary and enjoyable in order to help you prepare for something or toactually do it.Our physical reactions to stress are determined by our biological historyand the need to respond to sudden dangers that threatened us when we

were still hunters and gatherers. In this situation, the response to dangerwas ght or ight. Our bodies still respond in this way, releasing thehormones adrenaline and cortisol

AdrenalineThe release of adrenaline causes rapid changes to your blood ow and

increases your breathing and heart rate, to get you ready to defend

yourself (ght) or to run away (ight). You become pale, sweat more andyour 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 ght

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, andyou 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 neverrelaxed. This is very bad for both your physical and your mental health.

CortisolThe 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, butlong-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 perceiveand respond to them.

The important point is that you can learn to recognise your ownresponses to stress and develop skills to deal with it well.

- Is stress harmful? -


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Employee fac ts & s tat is t ic s

Stress can result in more headaches as a result of the

body rerouting blood ow to other parts of the body.

Chronic stress decreases the bodys immunesystems 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.Specically, stress temporarily increases awareness

and improves physical performance.

Stress; The Silent Killer


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Employee fac ts & s tat is t ic s


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Employer fac ts & s tat is t ic s


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Employer fac ts & s tat is t ic s


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Des igned by Nathan Bolton

for better mental health

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