Deal with situations and Be proactive
Try not to put off anything that is causing you stress as it will only make more stress for you. Try settling any situations which are causing you stress or anxiety as soon as they arise. Take a look at what is happening at work and if there is a problem with another member of staff, or if it is a relative at home, then speak to them today rather than leaving it for another day.
Once you get the problem sorted, you will feel so much better and wish that it had been dealt with sooner.
Don’t put off anything until tomorrow when today will get it resolved for you.
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Stress is no. 1 cause of long-term absence
This is according to a recent survey by CIPD and Simplyhealth.
Often one of the causes of stress is due to worry especially with the current economic climate.
If you find that you are not sleeping because of worrying. Create a Worry List with headings of worry and cause.
Identify the most important worry and rate from 1 to 10.
Then prioritise your list as what you have control over or not.
Download our Worry List for less worry and less stress.
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We all spend a lot of time at our desks from first thing in the morning right through to the end of the working day. Some even have their breaks and lunch at the desk with food getting in between the computer keys and it is not easy to get cleaned after that. Germs actually multiply at an incredible rate on our desks and some desks have actually more bacteria than the toilet seat in offices.
We cannot get infections (or extremely rare) from a toilet seat but we can from our desk which does seem unbelievable. Toilets and wash hand basins get cleaned at least once a day and maybe more often. How often does your desk get cleaned? We all spend a lot of time at our desks from first thing in the morning right through to the end of the working day. Some even have their breaks and lunch at the desk with food getting in between the computer keys and it is not easy to get cleaned after that. Germs actually multiply at an incredible rate on our desks and some desks have actually more bacteria than the toilet seat in offices.
We cannot get infections (or extremely rare) from a toilet seat but we can from our desk which does seem unbelievable. Toilets and wash hand basins get cleaned at least once a day and maybe more often. How often does your desk get cleaned?
The telephone can harbour a lot of bacteria especially if you are eating and drinking whilst speaking on the phone. Get a packet of disinfectant wipes and give a clean to your handset and the base of the phone, the whole desk, your computer and if you use a mouse that also. Try and clean on a regular basis (unless you are in the fortunate position of someone cleaning it for you).
Other areas which harbour bacteria are photocopiers, printers, door handles and push buttons. Make sure that these are cleaned on a regular basis and this can be part of a health and wellbeing initiative within your workplace.
This in turn will lead to you being healthier and those around having a cleaner and healthier environment.
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Are you under stress?
When under stress, especially at work, it is best to accept that you are feeling stressed and to be open about how you feel. If you do accept that you are under stress, then it is necessary to find out what is causing the stress and methods how to manage and be able to cope with it.
Stop and think is it a person, event(s) or situations that is causing you to feel under stress.
Often it is signs such as headaches, stomach ache and sleeplessness that are occurring on a regular basis and if you are suffering from headaches, for example, then note down on a pad or diary how often it is happening. There may be an event or after speaking to a particular person when you feel a tension headache coming on.
Once you have identified what is causing your tension headaches, then what do you do?
Take a log of the date, time and how long each headache lasts and if any headache tablets are required and note this all down. It can help you to focus and identify if there is a pattern and what is causing the headaches, and it may be more often than you realise!
Go for a walk at lunchtime and this can help you clear your head and be ready for work in the afternoon.
The three main tips for managing stress and anxiety at work are:-
1. Have a clearly defined role with a job description defining roles and responsibilities
2. Have specific hours that you work.
3. Being able to cope with the demands of the job.
1. A clearly defined role is very important to an individual's wellbeing. If they do not have a clear role this can lead to a lot of pressure which in turn will lead to anxiety and stress. The ‘role’ may make them feel insignificant and bored which can cause them to worry especially if it is a job that is not fulfilling.
Make sure you know what your job actually is and this will help to increase your confidence, feel better about yourself and boost your self esteem. However, if you do not know exactly what job you should be doing, ask your manager or team leader to sit down and go over the role they think you should be doing. This will help as you can have a discussion about the role and how important it is that you know exactly what you are expected to do which will result in feeling more positive, more productive and improves your confidence.
2. Whether you are employed or self-employed, make sure that you work around a 7 to a 7.5 hour day. When you work longer hours, this is when you get tired and often unable to cope. You shouldn’t be working more than 48 hours per week. Check out information on the WTD (Working Time Directive) around hours that you are allowed to work at any one time. If you are working different shift patterns, make sure that you are able to sleep well and that night shift, for example, is not affecting your health.
When you are on night shift or working different shift patterns, this can affect your health, and it might be an opportunity to ask about more regular hours. Walk more during the day as this will help the circulation and also make you feel more invigorated. Have at least one well-balanced meal in 24 hours and include fruit and vegetables which can be snacks as well.
3. You may have a new job or been in your job for quite some time and are now beginning to realise that the job is getting too much for you. The first thing is to be honest with yourself and admit that you are not coping. So what do you do? Firstly, make a list of what you like about the job and what you don't like about the job. Once you have done this, then you can see clearly what you enjoy and like doing and are good at. This can help you to focus and it could be that the things you don't enjoy doing, try doing them first thing in the morning and they are not being left to one side, and this can lead to and also make you feel more stressed. When they are complete, you will feel much better in yourself and more motivated. Have a go at this and see how you get on. You will become more focused and positive about yourself and your job. Try it in small steps to begin with until you feel more confident which will in turn improve your self-esteem and you will find that you can cope with the job.
Some more Stress Tips
Identify the cause(s) of stress within the work environment.
Ensure that breaks and
lunch breaks are away from the computer
Try not to have music on all the time
Any constant
noises should be reduced, if possible
Communicate effectively to all
Drink about 8 glasses of water daily
Healthy eating such as fruit and vegetables daily
Talk
to someone if you are feeling stressed or under pressure
No time - then make time
and create an action plan for the next week/month- try some goal setting......
Worried
- create a Worry List with headings 'Worry' and 'Cause'
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