Has the recession made you stressed?

Earlier this year, mental health charity Mind discovered alarming new evidence that the recession has had a devastating effect on the wellbeing of British workers. The charity has found that since the recession, 1 in 10 workers have sought support from their doctors and 7% have started taking antidepressants for stress and mental health problems directly caused by the pressures of recession on their workplace.

Fears over job security were prompting workers to take on more work and work longer hours, all which added to an increase in pressure in the workplace. The findings of Mind’s report were so significant that entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne has given his support to the charity and called on business managers to look after their staff.

“The recession will really have an impact on many employees who are a bit insecure in their jobs, who maybe aren’t sure that the company is doing well and are scared in case the company goes into administration, or redundancies are made. It’s a very anxious time,” he said. “However, the recession is also a good time for businesses to be working on promoting good staff wellbeing. You’ve got to look after your staff. If you haven’t got staff, you haven’t got a business. It’s as simple as that.”

Stress can be notoriously difficult to spot at work – after all, it’s a normal part of working life which most people will encounter at some stage in their career. In moderation, stress can keep us motivated, but it’s excessive stress that can have a devastating effect. Signs that you or a colleague might be stressed include changes in behaviour – if they’re usually very outgoing but are becoming withdrawn or are being unusually irritable for example, if they suddenly develop poor concentration, or if they simply become tense and over-reacting, similar to when we are under other types of pressure and can’t relax.

“Everyone will experience stress differently, and how it manifests itself at work will vary from one person to the next,” says Emma Mamo, Policy and Campaigns manager at Mind. “Some symptoms might include physical signs, like fatigue, indigestion or headaches; or psychological changes like anxiety, low mood, indecision, becoming withdrawn or a loss of motivation. Changes in behaviour, such as drinking or smoking more, can also indicate that someone’s stress levels are on the rise.”

As well as worries over the economy, there are other key factors that could trigger stress. These include bad relationships with colleagues, excessive and unmanageable workloads, unrealistic targets or workplace bullying. Any form of stress, no matter where it comes from, should be dealt with swiftly.

“Stress does not necessarily lead to depression,” says Emma, “however stress can have a very negative effect on our mental wellbeing. Poor mental wellbeing in turn can be one of the causes of mental health problems such as depression or anxiety, so it is vital to look after your mental wellbeing as you would your physical health, and keeping stress levels to a minimum can be a very effective way of doing this.”

Top tips on how to manage stress in the workplace:

1. Try and make your physical work environment as comfortable to work in and appropriate to your needs as you can, so consider for example noise, light and temperature levels.
2. A brief ‘time out’ period when you’re feeling stressed can be very restoring – if possible go outside and get some air and always try and take your breaks.
3. Learn to say no – if your to do list is already as long as your arm and someone asks you take on another, low priority task, don’t be afraid to say no. Remember that you only have one pair of hands, and other people will remember that too.
4. Talk to your line manager – good communication is key, so that you can discuss any problems you have with them e.g. your workload. It’s in your employers’ interests for you to stay well so they should be able to provide you with support.

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