Delivered by Mike Jeffries Birmingham Mind Stress at
Delivered by: Mike Jeffries, Birmingham Mind Stress at Work
Group Agreement
60% of employees have experienced a mental health problem due to work in the last year. 31% formally diagnosed with a mental health issue. In The Workplace 15% of those who disclosed were subject to disciplinary procedures, demotion or dismissal (up from 9% in 2016 survey). Business in the community: Mental Health at work report Sept 2017 (3, 006 people responded to survey)
The Cost of Mental Health Problems Mental health problems cost the UK economy an estimated £ 70 -£ 100 billion each year, and account for 4. 5% of GDP. It is estimated that: 20% of this cost is attributed to health and social care costs 30% to lost productivity, and the remaining 50% to human suffering Source: 2013 Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer (Which focused on mental health)
Can a level of stress be helpful? • • • Stress is natural, can be healthy and helpful Fight, Flight or Freeze Automatic survival instinct / biological defence mechanism • Entire system goes on alert to defend yourself – Hit it, Run from it, freeze Highly effective to help us face challenges and achieve goals •
What happens… Adrenalin released into blood stream… Heart rate increased to direct blood and adrenalin to muscles Breathe faster = more oxygen to convert glucose to energy Muscles contract to store energy Pupils dilate Hormone cortisol released - Brain more focussed and attention locked; quick and constant thoughts; can’t think about anything else • Blood sugar levels rise and clotting agents increase (in case of injury) • Blood pressure increases • May not feel pain • • •
And also……… Body’s ‘ordinary’ activities ‘put on hold’ - they’re not vital to counter immediate threat e. g. • Growth and tissue repair • Digestion • Reproductive processes • Maintaining immune response • Ability to sleep
Then … • Designed to ‘complete’ cycle by using energy to ‘fight’ or ‘flee’ • System would then go back to rest-state • High emotional and physical arousal would fade • System would return to ‘normal’ healthy functions
The Science part … Researchers at the Yale Stress Centre found that when stress becomes a way of life - rushing from pillar to post (reading emails as you fly past) - the prefrontal cortex part of our brain begins to shut down and even reduces in size. The prefrontal cortex is the most recently evolved part of our brains – it regulates our amygdala, blood pressure and heart beat but also enables us to learn, plan, concentrate and make judgements. Mental Health Foundation: MHAW 2018
The Stress container
The Stress container What is your Stress signature? How do you know you are reaching the top of the container?
Common Signs of Stress How You Might Feel … Over-burdened Depressed Irritable, Aggressive, Impatient or wound-up Uninterested in life, Neglected or Lonely Anxious, nervous or afraid Thoughts racing – can’t switch off Unable to enjoy self Lost sense of humour A sense of dread Worried about your health
Common Signs of Stress How You Might Behave … Finding it hard to make decisions Avoiding situations that are troubling you Unable to concentrate Eating too much or too little Snapping at people Smoking or drinking alcohol more than usual Biting your nails Restless Picking at your skin Feeling tearful or crying
Common Signs of Stress How You Might Be Physically Affected … Shallow breathing or hyperventilating Tired all the time Grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw You might have a panic attack Headaches Blurred eyesight or sore eyes Problems getting to sleep/staying asleep Sexual problems Chest Pains High blood pressure Indigestion/Heartburn Constipation/diarrhoea Feeling sick/dizzy/faint
Long Term Impact • Sleep deprivation • Muscle tension and aching joints • Digestive problems • Physical problems: infections, IBS • Agitation, anxiety, rumination, mania, exhaustion, depression (neurosis) • Thought disturbance, losing touch with reality (psychosis) • Burn Out, Breakdown, Shutdown
Link between our Physical Health and Mental Health In terms of stress: Strong link between feelings of despair, anger, frustration, hopelessness etc. and Higher levels of Cholesterol and blood pressure as well as susceptibility to infection. If you have one long term health condition you are two – three times more likely to develop Depression! If you have three or more long term physical health conditions = seven times more likely to have Depression!
Defining Good Mental Health Feel (relatively) confident in yourself – you value and accept yourself and judge yourself on realistic and reasonable standards Feel and express a range of emotions Feel engaged with the world around you – you can build and maintain positive relationships with other people and feel you can contribute to the community you live in Live and spend your time productively Cope with the stresses of daily life and manage times of change and uncertainty
Early Warning Signs: What are we looking for? And how do we start the conversations?
What are we looking for? • Changes in behavior/attitude/appearance/mood that are significant for that person • Perhaps seeking constant reassurance – Frequent self criticism • Absenteeism • Presenteeism • Morale problems • Lack of co-operation • Safety problems • Frequent complaints of being tired all the time • Complaints of unexplained aches and pains • Alcohol and/or other drug misuse • A lack of interest in the future • Giving away possessions or putting affairs in order
Risk factors to consider! (In addition to HSE Stress risk factors) • Pre-existing mental health condition or experience of. • Caring for someone with mental or physical health issues. • Experiencing any form of bullying or abusive behaviour whether at work or outside. • Facing any form of discrimination. • Being a new parent/Birth of a child. • Facing any major life change (Moving house/Children leaving home/ bereavement etc. ). • No definite here – But increased likelihood!
Pairs work: If we’re concerned how do we approach the subject? Compare experiences Any top tips? Any things to avoid? What do we do if we get a defensive response or flat denial?
How do we talk to people about their Mental Health • We often worry about saying the wrong thing! – When saying nothing is regularly worse! • We know it’s good to ask people “How are you doing? ” but can worry about where the time comes from if they pluck up the courage to say they’re struggling! • We can only offer, but an awareness of how heavy the stigma can weigh will help! People will often fear being seen as weak, Unable to adapt, Letting the team down and that can lead to fears of being First on the list for redundancy.
How do we talk to people about their Mental Health • The more Mental Health is talked about/raised as an issue the more people feel they have permission to ask for help – We need this as our symptoms often do the opposite and make us want to isolate ourselves from others (Or snap or argue with colleagues – We’re all individuals!). • To help we need to be: Persistent, Honest and Try different ways or offer others that might just have a different way of getting through to the person that It’s ok to talk. • In workplaces the employer of course needs to play their part and campaign weeks/days/events/initiatives/training awareness and drive policy! raise
The HSE Management Standards The Management Standards define the characteristics, or culture, of an organisation where the risks from workrelated stress are being effectively managed and controlled. The Management Standards cover six key areas of work that, if not properly managed, are associated with poor health and well-being, lower productivity and increased sickness absence.
The Six Standards Relationships Demands 1 4 Control 2 5 Role 3 6 Change Support
Supporting Your Team The HSE Stress Management Competency indicator tool:
Supporting Your Team Competency Sub-Competency Respectful and responsible: Managing emotions and having integrity Integrity Being respectful and honest to employees Managing emotions Behaving consistently and calmly around the team Considerate approach Being thoughtful in managing others and delegating
Supporting Your Team Competency Sub-Competency Managing and communicating existing and future work Proactive work management Monitoring and reviewing existing work, allowing future prioritisation and planning Problem solving Dealing with problems promptly, rationally and responsibly Participative/empowering Listening to, meeting and consulting with the team, providing direction, autonomy and development opportunities to individuals
Supporting Your Team Competency Sub-Competency Managing the individual within the team Personally accessible Available to talk to personally Sociable Relaxed approach, such as socialising and using humour Empathetic engagement Seeking to understand each individual in the team in terms of their health and satisfaction, motivation, point of view and life outside work
Supporting Your Team Competency Sub-Competency Reasoning/Managing difficult situations Managing conflict Dealing with conflicts decisively, promptly and objectively Use of organisational resources Seeking advice when necessary from managers, HR and Occupational Health Taking responsibility for resolving issues Having a supportive and responsible approach to issues and incidents in the team
Tips for Relaxation
Five Ways to Wellbeing • Connect • Be Active • Give • Take Notice • Learn
Formal Campaigns and Events which may help Time to Change: A national campaign to end the stigma and discrimination that people with mental health problems face in England. Run by the charities Mind & Rethink Mental Illness, with funding from the Department of Health, Comic Relief and the Big Lottery Fund. Mental Health Awareness Week takes place every May (Week of 14 th May in 2018) theme is Stress – Are we Coping? Coordinated by Mental Health Foundation. World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. 2017 theme = Mental Health in the workplace!
Where Can I Get More Information?
Mind at a National Level: Taking Care of Business Lots of information on it’s website about looking after our Mental Health at work, both in terms of what we can do for ourselves but also what our Employers should be doing to look after our Mental Health. www. mind. org. uk/for-business/
Thank you again for your time and engagement! Any questions?
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