Cheerful casual businesswoman at work

Wellbeing at Work

Anyone can find work stressful at times, so what can we do to keep ourselves on top?

Mind provides a range of support for people with mental health issues, including home visits, group activities and benefits advice. Here are their 5 Top Tips to Wellbeing in the Workplace:

  1. BREATHE. If you start to feel anxious, just stop. Take a moment. Gather your thoughts. What is making you anxious? Can you deal with it now or park it for later?

2. BE MINDFUL of what gets you down and perks you up. Try to do the right thing at home, to help you cope at work. Eat right, drink water and take lots of exercise, which is good for both body and mind. If it doesn’t work for you, avoid alcohol.

3. PLAN TO COPE WITH STRESS. Pressure can help us perform but if unmanaged, it can get on top of us. Keep a list of what you need to do and take it step by step. If it looks like it cannot be done in the time you have, prioritise essential things and ask for help. Always take breaks, don’t soldier on.

4. DISTRACT YOURSELF with a book, some relaxing music or a quick walk. Be clear of your boundaries between work and home, do not take work home with you

5. ASK FOR HELP. Try to be open with colleagues, if you can. They’ll probably want to support you, even if you only say ‘I’m struggling a bit today’. If things are getting in the way of your performance at work, it can cause more stress if you don’t now open up to your boss. They have a duty of care to you

ASKING FOR HELP
It is hard to know when to disclose a mental health problem to an employer. When applying? After being appointed? Or when a problem comes up? To a degree, it is more important that it’s when you’re ready but the law, (the Equality Act 2010), is clear on barring employers from asking about health issues during any part of the recruitment process, except in rare circumstances where it is relevant for them to know. They can ask about someone’s sickness history, for example, but only if and when they’ve been offered the job.

If it feels like it’s going wrong…

✔ Talk to someone. Tell someone you trust about how you’re feeling, you don’t have to deal with this alone. If you don’t have anyone right now, call the Samaritans on 116 123.

✔ Contact one of these organisations. Even if they can’t help, they will know someone who can.

✔ It’s ok to feel rotten, all of us do at some point. You can take ‘time out’, book a break or go and do something else you enjoy more.

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