Stress Information

What is Stress?
A medical definition of stress refers to ”a state of arousal caused by increased hormonal activity in the body, the flight or fight response”. When this state continues for long periods it has a detrimental effect on health. In this situation there are clear clinical links to increased heart disease, strokes and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

Suffering from stress?
If work gets a bit too much, or Mr or Mrs angry have been on the phone, try these tips for calming down. Learning and practising them will help you calm down, refocus and get back to your work productively when you need to.

Breath Deeply
The trick here is count of three [on the ‘in’ breath seconds of course – don’t turn blue!]  Then slowly exhale over a count of six. Repeat this three times at first then build up to six breaths over a few days. Doing this will help you refocus and regain concentration when you need it. This is also known as diaphragmatic breathing

Learn to Relax
Start with your back supported against the back of your chair. Put your feet firmly on the floo making, make sure hands and arms are open and relaxed.
As you take a deep breath in, raise the shoulders towards the ears and hold them raised for a few seconds (you should be able to feel the tension that may be building up in the shoulders). Let the breath out and drop the shoulders slowly down. Repeat this several times.
Place your left hand on your right shoulder, grip gently and then slowly release. Repeat down the right arm to the elbow. Repeat several times. Now do the same on the other arm.
Place your hands over your shoulders. As you exhale let your head fall backwards and slowly draw your fingers over the collarbones. Repeat several times.

Other exercise are available – just contact us for more.

What is Workplace Stress?
In an organisational setting staff exhibit stress when work seems overwhelmingly charged with negative emotion. If this carries on and the causes are perceived to be permanent they cause illness. There is plenty of evidence that stress causes both physical and, mental ill health.  Certainly stress, depression and anxiety related diseases cause longer periods of absence from work than most physical illnesses. Only musculoskeletal injuries cause more time off work.

Suffering from Persistent Stress at Work?
If your stress is ‘caused or made worse’ by work your employer is legally required to make changes if you notify them. Practically this can be difficult and most people leave a post just to bring it to an end. Not many people realise that an employer is bound by law to by their “duty of care” obligations not to let a situation like this persist.

Is Bullying Causing Stress?
Inappropriate behaviour that causes distress is not funny and will do lasting harm if not addressed. If this behaviour is coming from a manager it can be difficult to report. Keep a diary of events and how the behaviour made you feel. If you feel strong enough write to your employer with a summary of this information. They should reply indicating what action they are going to take. If you hear nothing then you will probably want to speak to a lawyer!
Again if you are suffering this behaviour from a manager it can be difficult to address. You may need help from an outside organisation.