AWARE NI Newsletter: Stress Awareness Month

April is Stress Awareness month - a month to raise awareness of the causes?of modern-day stresses and empowering individuals to effectively manage stress while prioritising their mental wellbeing.

We aim to delve into the concept of stress, its underlying causes, recognisable signs and symptoms, prevalence in the workplace, and practical strategies for managing stress and looking after your mental health.

What is stress?

Stress is the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. According to Anxiety UK, stress is?when we think the demands placed upon us exceed our ability to cope.

It is very common, and it can have positive benefits.?It can motivate you to achieve goals and manage the demands of home and work life. Nevertheless, excessive stress can significantly impact one's mood, physical well-being, and interpersonal relationships.

What causes?stress?

Many things can cause stress. It might be one major event or situation in your life or a collection of smaller things adding up over time.

Even happy events like weddings or having a baby can still be stressful because they bring significant changes and pressure to remain positive.

Signs and symptoms of stress

How people experience stress will vary from person to person, but you may experience symptoms such as:

Behaviours such as:

• Avoiding people and places
• Changes to your habits in relation to eating and exercise
• Substance misuse

Emotions such as feeling:

• Irritable or angry
• Anxious or worried
• Tearful
• Indecisive
• Overwhelmed

Physical symptoms such as:

• Stomach problems, headaches, or other aches and pains
• Nausea
• Palpitations, shaking or feeling faint
• Exhaustion, low energy, or trouble sleeping

What about work-related stress?

According to the 2023 Workplace Health Report, 78% of UK employees report moderate-to-high or high stress levels.

The signs and symptoms of work-related stress will mirror what we have outlined above, but some specific behaviours of work-related stress include:

• Poor timekeeping, working longer hours, and struggling to meet deadlines.
• Increased absence.
• Loss of interest in work.
• Difficulty concentrating, impacting productivity, decision-making and problem-solving skills.

How to manage stress

If you're feeling stressed, whether by your job or something more personal, the first step to feeling better is to identify the cause.

Self-help strategies and self-care are great methods to manage stress as they boost your mood. Some examples include:

Mental Health Awareness Workplace Programmes

Why not mark Stress Awareness Month as an organisation by doing something for the mental well-being of your workforce?

AWARE NI offers a range of workplace mental health training programs to assist employees in managing their mental health and well-being. Our training options are tailored to help employers establish mentally healthy workplaces.

Our range of programmes includes:

• Supporting Employee well-being (for managers)
• Mindfulness in the Workplace
• Mental Health First Aid

We have face-to-face, online and e-learning options available. Investing in the mental well-being of your employees is not only the right thing to do, but it's also good for business. Employees who feel supported and valued?are more engaged, productive, and likely to remain with their employer long-term.

Click here to view all of AWARE NI's workplace programmes (Or email our team [email protected] to find out more!)

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