It’s no secret that more of us are feeling more stressed than ever, both in our general lives and at work.
A recent article for Training Zone highlighted figures from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which revealed that in 2018-19 there were 602,000 cases of stress, anxiety or depression in the workplace, up from the 595,000 reported in 2017-18.
The news provider also pointed out that poor mental health is costing the UK economy an estimated £35 billion a year, largely due to reduced productivity.
It also stressed that the training industry needs to do its part to help employees feel as though they have the support they need and are able to talk about mental health issues without fear of being stigmatised.
The fact that workload and a lack of support were cited among the main reasons for people experiencing stress at work “indicates that mental health initiatives are not yet normalised amongst company leaders who are either missing the warning signs of deteriorating mental health, or else shrugging them off,” the news site asserted.
While it’s encouraging to see businesses looking for ways to improve the support they provide, it’s not necessarily a quick fix. If you’re struggling with stress, anxiety or depression, either due to work or other circumstances, you won’t be able to wait until company culture has caught up.
If you’re finding that stress is getting on top of you at work, you could try some of the suggestions from Thrive Global about how to overcome stress while you’re at work.
You may also find that seeing a mindfulness-based therapist in Wimbledon, or wherever you live, is a good way to get the support you need and develop techniques that help you to cope with the stress in your life.
One area to focus on, according to Thrive Global, is developing positive self talk. This means instead of telling yourself things like, ‘I can’t do this’, you tell yourself, ‘I can do this’.
This might seem like a simple change, but it’s one that can have a big impact because negative self talk will increase mental stress, while positive self talk will have a calming effect.
Another thing to incorporate into your daily life is some form of exercise. That doesn’t have to mean hitting the gym if that’s not what you’re into. It could be as simple as going for a walk on your lunch break, or cycling to work instead of driving. Even playing an activity-based video game can get your body moving.
The quality of your sleep often suffers when you undergo stress. But getting a good night’s rest will often help alleviate some of the strain you’re feeling. The news provider recommends setting up a bedtime routine to ensure that you’re relaxed when you go to bed.
That means avoiding doing any taxing work for at least a couple of hours before you want to sleep, making sure that your bedroom is noise-free and calm, and avoiding drinking caffeine or alcohol before bed.
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