Psychological Wellbeing Support

Managing Stress

It is normal within the working environment and the working day to feel pressure. We are under pressure to do our job well to deliver on commitments, to meet deadlines and to cope with changing and challenging demands - we need a certain amount of pressure to energise and motivate us. It helps us get things done! However, when this pressure becomes more and more often, and begins to keep building to a level which is unmanageable, this is stress.

When you feel you are struggling and under pressure, it is important to raise this with your manager or speak to someone professionally trained. We are all here to help each other through these difficult times.

Helpful Coping Strategies:

• Make time for yourself for positive experiences

• Get enough rest

• Talk to someone

• Exercise and get some fresh air

• Keep hydrated

• Remember you are not alone

• Be KIND to yourself

Further resources can be found here.

Burnout

Stress is the impact of there being ‘too much’. Too many demands, too many changes, too much to do and too many decisions to make. Chronic stress has the potential of depleting your energy, undermining your belief in your own abilities and efficacy, and can lead to burnout.

Burnout, on the other hand is feeling there is just ‘not enough’. Not enough time, energy, enthusiasm, ability and not enough inner resource. It is commonly described as ‘being emotionally drained’, ‘feeling empty’ or ‘just not being able to be myself anymore’.

The World Health Organization defined burnout specifically as ‘energy depletion, or exhaustion, increased mental distance from job, negativism or cynicism and reduced professional efficacy’.

Factors that might increase the risk of effects of stress and thus potentially burnout:

• The higher the level of stress experienced and the longer the person is stressed the greater the risk of burnout.

• Individuals who are not emotionally self-sufficient and engage in avoidance coping strategies such as denial, disengagement, or substance misuse are at greater risk.

• Individuals with higher levels of perfectionism for themselves or others, especially if they typically compare themselves poorly to others or react negatively to situations not meeting their high standards may also experience burnout.

It is important to appreciate that burnout and depression can co-occur and can lead to suicidal thoughts and to suicide completion. Burnout can ‘creep up’ on people, so considering how your colleague or you were functioning 3, 6 and 12 months ago regarding these three characteristic traits could be helpful.

Further resources can be found here.

Bereavement

Grief does not discriminate. We will all be affected by a bereavement. Children, young people, the older generation, all faiths, all religions, all cultures, all sectors of our community will grieve. We need to help all minority groups who are often stigmatised to open up to grief and help to support anyone, anywhere who needs help.

There is a myth that you ‘get over’ grief. That you ‘move on’. You don’t. You move forward with your grief, but you may be affected by a bereavement throughout your whole life. Often after the funeral, people leave, and things go ‘back to normal’. This is the time when the bereaved most need support when they feel alone and isolated. We need to understand that there are triggers that may come from nowhere that will affect them in the weeks, months, and years after the death.

Please look out for colleagues and friends, check they are okay, in the early days and ongoing. They may look alright, they may be going to work, but deep inside they could be struggling and just need your support and understanding. If you need support with this please access the following:

Scan the QR code to access the SaTH Bereavement Guide

For those who are experiencing grief, please access the below if you need to do so:

• Staff Bereavement Support Cafes

• Bereavement Support Line: 0300 303 4434

A confidential bereavement support line, operated by Hospice UK and free to access from 8am - 8pm, seven days a week. A team of fully qualified and trained bereavement specialists are available to support you with bereavement and wellbeing issues relating to loss experienced through your work. You will be offered up to 3 sessions with the same counsellor and onward support to our staff mental health services if you need.

• Filipino Staff Support Line: 0300 303 1115

A dedicated support service has been created for Filipino health and care staff who are experiencing bereavement or trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic. The support service is available by phone seven days a week between 7am and 11pm.