WORKING WITH STRESS

1. WORKING WITH STRESS Kevin Moore

2. STRESS[strɛs] (Noun) The feeling of being under pressure Stressors: Internal/external factorsthat make us feel pressured. • Deadlines • Targets • Policy changes • Staff • Expectations • Customers • Presenting • The hierarchy • Money • Family • Health • Housing • Competing • The unknown Stress: How our brains reacts to stressors.

3. EU STRESS DI

4. Perception

5. THE STRESS BUCKET Stress flows into the bucket If the bucket overflows, problems develop - ‘emotional snapping’ We each have our own sizedbucket The size of our buckets, and what stressors we have in our lives, decide how quickly our buckets fill.

6. COPING WITH STRESS Control stress flowing into bucket Proactive Reactive Let the stress out of the bucket Helpful coping strategies = tap working lets the stress out Unhelpful coping strategies = short-term relief, long-term consequences

7. KNOW YOUR BUCKET The Bucket Itself • How big is it? How can you make it bigger? • How empty is it when you wake each morning? • What usually fills it? At home? At work? In-between? The Lid • How effective is it at controlling what stress gets in? • How could you improve its effectiveness? • How do you/others spot the bucket overflowing? The Tap • What empties your bucket? • Are they the “best” ways? • How often do you empty it? • How empty is your bucket when you go to bed?

8. GROWING YOUR BUCKET

9. LID DEVELOPMENT • What stress am I letting in? The serenity prayer • Perspective taking - Is my response proportionate? • CBT and our ability to use it: Activating Event Beliefs, Thoughts and Emotions Consequences

10. DEVELOPING COPING STRATEGIES • Talking is the best strategy. Being listened to helps exponentially. • Exercise is as effective as anti-depressants in treating mild to moderate depression. • Sleep, faith, a bath, reading, music, a small drink, hobbies, meditation, massage and more! • Most of all, find the time.

11. WORKPLACE COPING STRATEGIES • Put the phone down……. • Have regular brain breaks. • Share your bucket emptying activities. • Develop a relationship where talking about your wellbeing is normal and regular. Share your bucket.

12. CREATING STAFF EUSTRESS RATHER THAN DISTRESS

13. Gary, can you finish off this report for me please? I need it by 5:00 tonight.

14. It doesn’t look like he’s busy, and the report does cover his performance. He’s able to complete it no problem.

15. Can’t she see I’m concentrating? I’ve got too much on my plate, how am I supposed to cope with this? Hell, that’s a complex report. I’m not even sure that I can do this. Where am I supposed to get the data from?

16. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t - you're right.”- Henry Ford Someone’s perception is just as important as the facts. So how do we influence and gauge someone’s perception?

17. MESSAGES It’s dark brown, has 4 legs and a hole in the middle. SEND Q E W R T Y U I O P K L D H J F S A G N M V B Z X C SPACE

18. WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH SCHEMES

19. WHY DOES MENTAL HEALTH MATTER IN THE WORKPLACE? TRUE OR FALSE QUIZ

20. In 2017/8; 154,000 working days were lost to stress, anxiety and depression. False, it was 15.4 MILLION (Health & Safety Executive). • The annual cost to business is estimated at £34.8 billion. True (Centre for Mental Health). Derived from reduced productivity, sickness absence and staff turnover. • The average length of absence was 12 days. False, it was 25.8 days (more than any other cause and equal to over a month off each year per person). • Promoting wellbeing at work through personalised information and advice, a risk-assessment questionnaire, seminars, workshops and web-based materials will cost approximately £480 per employee per year. False, it’s £80 (Mental Health Foundation). For a company with 500 employees, an initial investment of £40,000 will result in a net saving of £347,722, mainly through reduced presenteeism. • Only 44% of employees would be comfortable talking about mental illness at work. False, it’s just 13% (Time to Change survey). Workers would rather talk to colleagues about sex or money worries than a mental health problem.

21. SCHEMES

22. DWP scheme to support employers to make the most of the talents of disabled people at work. Free to join. Three levels of commitment. Access resources, events and support. https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

23. Developed by Devon Partnership NHS Trust. Framework for supporting mental health of your workforce. Low cost to join. Access to Mindful Employer Plus EAP. www.mindfulemployer.net

24. Part of the international (26 country) initiative to upskill millions in Mental Health First Aid. Half, one and two-day training courses aimed at non-specialists. Goal is for 1 in 10 people to be trained. Updated HSE First Aid guidance urges employers to consider mental health alongside physical health. Legislative change passing through the House to require large employers to have MHFAers in place.

25. RECENT FEEDBACK “Both the course and instructor were fabulous. An in-depth and interesting course with lots of interaction. I have definitely come back with a wealth of knowledge and tools to be able to understand and assist with Mental Health within the workplace” “I would recommend this course to all, as a valuable insight to understanding the way times are changing within our communities and take away the stigma of views on Mental Health.” “The MHFA course was so informative and interesting - it was the best course I have been on.” “Brilliant training - I feel I learned a lot over the two days. The content was raw at times but very relevant.” “Everyone, particularly senior management and line managers, should take this course - for life lessons as well as to be an asset to their companies.”

26. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES MHFA Line Managers’ Resource HSE Talking Toolkit Thriving at Work: The Stevenson/Farmer review of mental health and employers BITC Mental Health for Employers Toolkit www.bdld.org.uk/mh4m

27. QUESTIONS? kevin@bdld.org.uk