Together we stay stronger Stress awareness Throughout November we’ll be supporting National Stress Awareness Day which takes place on Wednesday 4 November, helping to raise awareness of stress and its impact and reduce the stigma while promoting the importance of wellbeing and stress reduction.
What is stress? Stress is the body's reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. It's very common, and can be motivating to help us achieve things in our daily life, sometimes helping us to meet the demands of home, work and family life. But too much stress can affect our mood, our body and our relationships – especially when it feels out of our control. It can make us feel anxious and irritable, and affect our self-esteem. Experiencing a lot of stress over a long period of time can also lead to a feeling of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, often called burnout. Stress affects people differently, and the things that cause stress vary from person to person. The level of stress you are comfortable with may be higher or lower than that of other people around you. Stressful feelings typically happen when we feel we do not have the resources to manage the challenges we face. Pressure at work, school or home, illness, or difficult or sudden life events can all lead to stress.
Signs of stress or burnout If you are stressed, you may: Feel overwhelmed. Have racing thoughts or difficulty concentrating. Be irritable. Feel constantly worried, anxious or scared. Feel a lack of self-confidence. Have trouble sleeping or feel tired all the time. Avoid things or people you are having problems with. Be eating more or less than usual. Drink or smoke more than usual. Click here for top tips to deal with stress and burnout.
Click here for some top tips to address stress.
A message from Rob Tansey: Take some ‘me time’ every day With the different coronavirus measures across the UK and as we come into winter and darker days and nights, we understand that these factors along with others may have a further impact on mental health and wellbeing. We therefore want employees to ensure they take time out for themselves during the working day whether you’re working from home or on site, to go for a walk, do some exercise, read a book, listen to music or have a virtual coffee break with colleagues. Taking a little time for yourself refreshes and re-energizes you. It allows you to think more clearly and make better decisions. Other benefits include the ability to sleep better, less fatigue, depression and anxiety, greater resistance to sickness, and less tension. So I would urge everyone to take some time out each day for themselves, especially to get outside and enjoy some fresh air, as this is so important to looking after our overall health and wellbeing. Rob Tansey Group HR Director For information, tools and links of many areas of health and wellbeing please click here to visit our My Barratt Benefits website