Take control of your wellbeing

With so much attention on mental health and wellbeing at work, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to looking after yourself. The first step is to understand what causes you to feel stressed.

If you are aware of your stressors, you have taken the first step in being able to manage them.

The causes of stress are diverse – you can feel stressed by relationships, money worries, lack of sleep, feeling unwell, and work, too. Anything that places demands on your time and attention can potentially cause you stress.

If you understand the factors that cause stress, you can move on to the second step of managing your wellbeing: working out how you relax. This could be through exercising, reading a book, going for a walk or simply watching TV.

Understanding the relationship between your stressors and what helps you relax is a fundamental part of managing your own mental wellbeing.  

At work, it’s down to finding the right way to release stress when the pressure starts building.

This could be ensuring you take your lunch break, going for a walk and getting some fresh air, talking to someone or simply stepping away from your screen for five minutes.

Alongside managing your own mental wellbeing, you may also want to consider asking your employer to consider what initiatives they could implement that support staff  across the organisation.

Mental Health First Aid training is a great way for employers to provide support to their staff  – and means that staff  can help and support each other, too.

Remember, employers have a responsibility under health and safety legislation to look after the physical health of their employees. 

KEY STEPS FOR BEATING STRESS

1 Identify what causes you stress.

2 Work out what relaxes you.

3 Ensure you have time during the day to take a break.

4 Don’t be afraid of having conversations with your manager.

5 Communication is key – if something is causing you stress and you don’t flag it, your employer can’t do anything about it.

Bruce Jenner is a director at Loch Health