The Hope Street CentreThe Hope Street Centre

I am noticing that an increasing number

of clients attend my therapy practice

with problems caused by stress. Much

of the stress is work-related, although

money problems, relationships, illness

and trauma also play a part. It is

particularly worrying that many young

people are stressed, as they juggle the

demands of long working hours,

commuting, bringing up a family and

paying bills that are forever increasing.

Not all stress is bad - occasional periods

of stress are healthy and stimulating

(eustress). It is when stress becomes

excessive over long periods that it

becomes distress, leading to major

health problems. Often stress is taken

home, leading to problems in

relationships. If chronic stress is dealt

with in time it can be reversed, but

there is a further stage when the

individual may suffer burnout or even

mental breakdown, and may need

extended periods of recovery.

Fortunately it is possible to combat

stress relatively easily if it is recognised

before the burnout stage. Typical signs

include irritability, impatience, outbursts

of emotion, panic attacks, making

uncharacteristic mistakes, illness, sleep

disturbances. Some suggestions for

tackling stress are presented later in

this leaflet.

If you are an employer it is in your

interests to help your staff recognise

and deal with stress. Often the most

valuable members of staff are the most

vulnerable, as they are likely to be hard-

working, diligent, perfectionist and tend

not to say “no”. Encouraging these

people to work less hard may go against

the grain, but this has to be set against

the alternative - recovering from

burnout can take months, and some

employees never return to their jobs.

Supporting the emotional and mental

wellbeing of your staff is an astute

business decision which leads to tangible

benefits such as:

improved motivation

reduced absenteeism and sickness

reduced stress

improved relationships in the workplace

increased performance and effectiveness

Whether you are an individual needing

help or an organisation seeking to

improve working conditions, we have a

team of qualified professionals who are

ready to assist you.

Inside this issue The biology of stress page 2

Three stages of stress page 2

Managing stress page 3

Promoting wellbeing page 4

Are you stressed? page 4

Useful publications Page 4

Overcoming stress in the workplace MAURICE TOMKINSON

Stress statistics

In 2007/8 an estimated

442,000 individuals in Britain

believed that they were

experiencing work-related

stress at a level that was

making them ill.

13.6% of all working

individuals thought their job

was very or extremely

stressful.

Self-reported work-related

stress, depression or anxiety

accounted for an estimated

13.5 million lost working days

in Britain in 2007/08

Figures obtained from HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress

The Hope Street Centre, 10 Hope Street, Sandbach, CW11 1BAThe Hope Street Centre, 10 Hope Street, Sandbach, CW11 1BA Tel: Tel: 01270 76400301270 764003

The biology of stress

The body's reaction to stress is

based on the fight-or-flight response,

which is a relic of our evolutionary

heritage for dealing with danger. In

the past it served us well, allowing

us to survive attacks by predators

and other natural threats.

When we sense danger a surge of

adrenaline is released, triggering a

cascade of bodily changes such as

increased heart rate and breathing,

strengthening muscles, and closing

down systems that are not

immediately needed, such as

digestion and the immune system.

This reaction is healthy and normal -

some people seek to trigger it by

participating in dangerous sports for

example, because they enjoy the

feelings of exhilaration which follow.

As well as adrenaline a second

hormone called cortisol is secreted -

this takes longer to be released and

stays in the blood stream longer

than adrenaline. As the cortisol level

increases it turns off adrenaline

helping the body to settle back to a

resting state. The body's response

to a single stressful event can be

represented by the first graph shown

in the panel to the left.

The problem comes when our bodies

are subjected to a continuous

barrage of stress, a situation that

modern society creates. Repeated

episodes of stress create a state of

continuous arousal in which the level

of cortisol keeps rising. At first this

can seem very exhilarating, like

being on a roller-coaster ride, but if

repeated for weeks and months

eventually the body’s capacity for

recovery starts to become depleted.

We experience sleepless nights,

tiredness during the day and

difficulty concentrating.

After being exposed to chronic stress

for extended periods a third stage

can occur when the body’s can no

longer produce enough cortisol to

regulate adrenaline. The result is a

very unpleasant state variously

described as burnout, breakdown or

major depression. There may be

panic attacks, insomnia, bouts of

worry, and an inability to cope with

the slightest stress. Recovery from

this state may require many months

of rest.

Three stages of stress

Stage 1: We respond to a stressful

situation by creating adrenaline. Cortisol

is then secreted returning the body to

normal. Result - a feeling of exhilaration

Stage 2: Individual stressful events have

merged to produce continuous chronic

stress.

Stage 3: The body’s ability to produce

cortisol is exhausted, with the result that

adrenaline can no longer be controlled.

The result is high levels of anxiety, panic

attacks occurring for no apparent reason,

and an inability to cope with any kind of

stress, however small. This stage is often

described as “burnout” or “having a

breakdown”

Page 2

www.hopestreetcentre.co.uk/stresswww.hopestreetcentre.co.uk/stress Tel: Tel: 01270 76400301270 764003

Managing stress Page 3

Look at the first of each pair of statements below — if some of these apply to you then you may be

putting yourself under excessive stress. The second statement gives an alternative strategy you

might use to help bring your stress under control.

You take work home and work late into the evening, then have trouble sleeping. Allow time in the evening for relaxation. Stop work 2-3 hours before bedtime.

You put off tasks you don’t like which then escalate into major problems. Set aside time and resources to deal with the difficult problems. Reward yourself for

doing them!

Instead of taking time off for lunch you grab a quick sandwich at your desk. Use lunch and tea breaks to get a complete respite from work, if possible taking a walk

outdoors or some other form of exercise.

You no longer have time to cook meals, so you order a takeaway or eat a TV dinner. We all know we should eat more healthily, we’ve been told often enough. At least cut

down the caffeine...

Your social life has become a distant memory, and you have no energy for sport

or hobbies.

Make sure you do at least one leisure activity each week—include it in your

schedule.

Your body feel tense all the time—your neck and shoulders ache from holding in tension. Practice relaxation to help release the tension, or use some simple yoga postures.

You avoid speaking to your boss or a difficult colleague because you find them

challenging to get on with.

Taking positive action to deal with the conflict is better than avoidance.

You find it hard to say “no”, so end up taking on more jobs than you can cope with. Being able to say “no” firmly and decisively is a really useful skill. Try role-playing it with

a friend until it comes naturally and you feel confident.

Everything you do must be done perfectly or not at all. Perfectionism is a major cause of stress. Identify the jobs that really must be done

well, and lower your standards for the rest.

The Hope Street Centre, 10 Hope Street, Sandbach, CW11 1BAThe Hope Street Centre, 10 Hope Street, Sandbach, CW11 1BA Tel: Tel: 01270 76400301270 764003

Promoting wellbeing in your organisation

Useful publications

Psychological

therapies

Executive

coaching

Stress

management

Group

facilitation

Complementary

therapies

Wellbeing

If stress is a problem in your

organisation there are a number of

ways we can help. Stress

management strategies can be put

in place, firstly identifying the

causes of stress, educating

employees in techniques for coping

better, and providing assistance for

staff who are already suffering

symptoms.

Sometimes stress is caused by more

complex factors, both inside and

outside the workplace. Accidents

and traumatic events, bullying and

harassment, illness, alcohol and

drug abuse are all contributory

factors that can be addressed by

psychological therapies.

Executive Coaching can help

individuals to be more successful in

their personal objectives, through

clarifying goals, increasing

motivation, improving morale and

overcoming limiting thought

patterns and behaviours. Senior

staff can be helped through

coaching to identify skills that they

need to acquire in order to become

better managers.

A wide range of complementary

therapies are available to help

reduce stress and boost wellbeing.

Body therapies such as massage,

reflexology, aromatherapy and reiki

can help to release the energy

blocks in the body that lock in

tension. Yoga is an excellent way of

improving health through postures

and relaxation. Herbal medicine can

boost the immune system, improve

liver functioning to help eliminate

toxins, and help to relieve a wide

range of ailments.

Where an organisation is going

through a period of change, or

working relationships are coming

under strain, sometimes it can be

helpful to organise a group activity

led by independent facilitators. Such

an activity needs to be carefully

planned and properly organised to

ensure that the desired outcomes

are achieved.

Executive Coaching

Stress management

Psychological therapies

Complementary therapies

Group facilitation

Are you stressed? To get an idea of how stressed you may be,

try scoring the following statements based

on how you have felt over the past week.

0: not true, 1: partially true, 2: very true

I found myself getting upset by quite trivial things

I tended to over-react to situations

I found it difficult to relax

I found myself getting upset rather easily

I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy

I found myself getting impatient when delayed or kept waiting

I felt that I was rather touchy

I found it hard to wind down

I found that I was very irritable

I found it hard to calm down after something upset me

I found it difficult to tolerate

interruptions to what I was doing

I was in a state of nervous tension

I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing

I found myself getting agitated

TOTAL low stress high stress

0 14 28

Page 4

Government Office for Science

Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project

available from www.foresight.gov.uk

HSE publication “Tackling Stress: The

Management Standards Approach”

available from

www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg406.pdf

“Working for a Healthier

Tomorrow”, Dame Carol Black's Review

of the health of Britain's working age

population, available from

www.workingforhealth.gov.uk

HSE publication “Making the Stress

Management Standards Work” available from www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/misc714.pdf

“Stress at Work” booklet published

by Acas available from

www.acas.org.uk

www.hopestreetcentre.co.uk/stresswww.hopestreetcentre.co.uk/stress Tel: Tel: 01270 76400301270 764003