Overcoming the barrier of stress

April represents National Stress Awareness Month, which raises awareness of the causes and cures for the modern stress epidemic.

Stress and poor mental health issues are amongst the biggest public health challenges we face within the UK. There is no health, without mental health, and the impact of stress is still not being taken seriously enough.

For CFO participants, stress is another factor which presents a barrier to breaking the cycle of re-offence.

Imprisonment itself is one of the largest causes of stress in people. However, the stigma around stress, and mental health ailments, are often even more prevalent in our participant cohorts, and creating spaces where this stress can be addressed and relieved can be a challenge.

Chronic stress can disrupt nearly every system in the human body; suppression immune, digestive and reproductive systems, increase the risks of heart attacks or strokes and speed up the aging process. Perhaps most prevalent in CFO participants however, stress leaves you more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, low self esteem and other mental challenges, all of which making breaking the cycle more difficult.

Anything that puts you on high demand can be seen as a stressful situation or pressure. Not all are negative (getting released from prison for example) but stressful situations amongst our participants include a host of issues such as being homeless, not having a job, owing or lacking money, having poor relationships, being isolated, not feeling understood and much more.

We can also face internal stress causes. Things such as pessimism, rigid thinking, negative self-talk and an all-or-nothing attitude can be regularly seen amongst CFO participants, and present barriers to rehabilitation.

Stef Bushell, Mental Health Ally at CFO said: “Stress is how we react when we feel under pressure or threatened and can increase risk to physical and mental health problems.?These include things such as anxiety, depression, digestive issues, headaches, pain, heart problems, high blood pressure, stroke, lack of sleep, weight gain, finding it hard to concentration plus a whole heap of other problems.

There are many coping strategies such as physical activities. It doesn’t have to be a mad gym session, simply go for a walk, meditate, speak to family and friends, laugh more, get more sleep, breathe, relax, take a moment, be grateful for the little things. Be aware of the need to look after yourself, no one else can in the same way and you are worth.”

Lots of our daily stress is caused by our perception of situations too. Therefore, a huge role many of our support and case workers play, is in helping participants’ change perception of their situation, assisting them to understand stressful triggers and even supporting to completely overcome stressful situations at hand.

So how do CFO services and providers help to shift these personal perceptions?

There are almost countless different ways in which a Support or Case Worker may have helped with a stressed participant as each person and situation is different from the next. Here though, are just some examples of the ways in which CFO services address and overcome stressful barriers.

CFO Activity Hubs are particularly effective in addressing and managing stress amongst prison leavers. Participants are referred for wraparound support to other services, and CFO Activity Hubs can help participants tackle other stressful external situations. For example, a CFO Support Worker can help a participant to use online banking, or manage their finances, which reduces pressure from the issue of money, allowing participants to feel more positive about their future prospects.

Likewise, Support Workers have helped participants to fill out housing application forms to eliminate the stress of homelessness, or working with CFO3, update a CV to improve employability prospects, reducing the negative feelings around job seeking.

Soft skills are highly important too, by simply engaging in a group crafts sessions, participants overcome the stresses of feeling isolated and alone. Then they are often able to talk about their emotional state, allowing for further progressions to reduce stress in their lives and make advancements with their mental health.

Internal stresses are often addressed through courses, 1-2-1s or group sessions on the CFO3 and CFO Activity Hub programmes.

During these interventions stressful triggers are identified to help participants better manage their reactions to situations. Triggers can often include negative self-thoughts or issues with attitude. By helping to identify these stressors, CFO3 and CFO Activity Hub providers can also present coping methods which participants can put into practice in their daily lives. This helps to overcome huge barriers to reintegration into society and reduces the likelihood of re-offence.

Each experience is specifically tailored to the needs of the participant. Whether they are referred to CFO3 working towards employment or education, or an CFO Activity Hub for wraparound to another service, CFO can help to better manage stress and reduce barriers to reformationparticipan.

Should you be working with a potential participant whose stress is a barrier to reformation, or is preventing them from breaking the cycle, get in touch with CFO via [email protected] for more information on our services.