The MindWell Clinic

26/09/2024

According to the Royal College of Nursing (2024), dangerous stress levels have become normalised inside the NHS and this had led to chronic workforce shortages which in turn impact on the mental and physical health of their nurses.

Early warning signs that your job may be impacting on your mental and physical health
• Elevated blood pressure
• Headaches
• Abdominal cramps
• Tightening of your chest
• Heart pounding
• Sleepless nights

https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/Press-Releases/nhs-sickness-data-shows-average-nurse-took-entire-week-off-sick-last-year-stress-apr24 #:~:text=NHS%20England%20data%20shows%20that,2022%20to%2024.3%25%20in%202023.

These are all physical warning signs that stress and anxiety are taking a toll on your body. If left unchecked psychological side effect are inevitable.

Your employer has a duty of care to safeguard your mental health at work, so if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, they need to help you!

www.themindwellclinic.co.uk

26/09/2024

Great article written by Sarah Schewitz, PsyD, on the reasons why people struggle to find love.

https://www.wikihow.com/Why-Can%27t-I-Find-Love -You-Might-Be-Struggling

Reasons why you may be struggling to find the one!
• Fear of getting hurt or rejection
• Unresolved traumas
• Low self-esteem
• Pursuing unavailable people
• Not putting yourself out there
• You really don’t want a relationship right now…..

It’s a 5 mins read but definitely worth the read!

Millions of singles, spend hours each day, on dating apps, swiping left and right, in pursuit of someone special and then wondering why their efforts come to no avail !

It may well be that you need to sort out some of your own baggage first.

Many of the reasons why your dating life may not be going to plan, could be down to you needing to learn more about who you are.

Aristotle famously said ”Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”.

It’s also fair to say that knowing yourself is the beginning of all successful relationships!

www.themindwellclinic.co.uk

26/09/2024

Are you investing enough time in your relationship?

The Mental Health Foundation have shared interesting tips for achieving healthier relationships
1. Get to know yourself- your emotions and how best to express how you feel to your partner

2. Put in the work- You need to build healthy relationships, they don’t just happen

3. Set and respect boundaries- e.g. when you need alone time or time to focus on your own interests and not have unrealistic expectations of each other

4. Talk and listen- all relationships have disagreements but what matters is how you talk and listen to each other when you have a falling out

5. Let go of control- knowing what you cannot control is important, for example other people’s reactions

6. Reflect and learn- regular relationship reviews, what is working, what could improve and how to go about making positive changes

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-06/MHF-Healthy-Relationships-Top-Tips.pdf

Sometimes the best starting point for making your relationships better, is learning more about and working on yourself!

www.themindwellclinic.co.uk

26/09/2024

A study published earlier this year explored how men and women experience stress differently.

Highlights:
• Stress disorders like PTSD and Depression, are more common in women than men
• Neurologically women have faster, longer and larger stress responses than men
• Testosterone inhibits stress responses whereas Oestrogen does the opposite

It’s worth remembering this, the next time your partner isn’t responding the same way that you are to a particularly stressful situation, it doesn’t mean they have checked out, nor does it mean they are indifferent or uninterested.

It could simply be a case of hormones and biology!

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-science-of-self/202403/men-and-women-experience-stress-differently

www.themindwellclinic.co.uk

26/09/2024

Are you impulsive?

Do you make rash decisions you later regret?

Are you told to ‘engage your brain’ more before you speak?

Research published this week from the University of Portsmouth suggests that whilst boredom is linked to impulsivity, so too is stress.

In fact, boredom is a form of psychological stress, a state of restless dissatisfaction which can lead people to seek out stimulation.

The research suggests that high-impulsive people experience greater physiological responses to boredom so managing stress can ultimately help you manage your impulsivity.

The next time you are feeling impulsive take a minute to think about what might be stressing you out

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/09/240925122932.htm

www.themindwellclinic.co.uk

25/09/2024

Interesting read from Indeed regarding how to become more resilient at work
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/resilience-in-the-workplace
Indeed (Aug, 2024)

Resilience is essentially the ability to recover from a challenge. When resilience is low, this tends to impact on your mental health and when it is prolonged this can lead to burnout.

Some of the tips from this article on how to become more resilient at work are

1. Develop Positive habits - take time to care for yourself especially outside of work

2. Reflect on Challenges - be self-reflective, keep a journal so you can learn from what went wrong or how certain situations made you feel

3. Embrace a Positive Attitude – being more engaged at work will help you navigate unexpected events

4. Build trust with others – focusing on your relationship at work will help you develop solutions more effectively when challenges arise

5. Focus on what is in your control – You shouldn’t spend time trying to control the things that are simply out of your control, like other people’s reactions

6. Take breaks – say no more!

25/09/2024

71% of people reported that work stress ended a personal relationship
(FORTUNE Well, 2024)

Great article on how to reduce the impact of work stress on your personal relationships

Highlights include
1. Resisting the urge to compare each other’s stress levels
2. Setting ‘micro rituals’ that help you decompress before you settle into evening
3. Performance reviews are not just for the workplace, you should agree to take time to review where you are in your relationship and what would improve for you both so that you remain connected
4. Stress can impact on your libido, so make conscious efforts to make romantic gestures or set aside time for some intimacy
5. Avoid defensive interactions, in particular blame- games

https://fortune.com/well/article/how-to-prevent-work-stress-hurt-relationship/ #:~:text=In%20Headspace's%202024%20Workforce%20State,a%20personal%20relationship%20to%20end.&text=Do%20you%20spend%20more%20time,time%20for%20a%20reality%20check

25/09/2024

DON'T BECOME A STATISTIC

According to the Mental Health Foundation, over the past 10 years, the number of workers aged 16-34 who reported that stress was limiting the amount of work they can do, has quadrupled.

Very often we don’t see the warning signs and when work-based stressed goes unnoticed, it can lead to burnout or in the worst-case scenario, a serious mental health crisis.

If you are experiencing any of the following, it may be wise to consult a mental health practitioner
- Mood swings
- Feeling withdrawn
- Loss of motivation or commitment to completing tasks
- Lacking in confidence, especially in areas that you have previous felt competent in
- More reactive to things that don’t go to plan
- More arguments with colleagues or clients
- Increased absence from work

Talking therapies can help you develop more effective coping strategies which ultimately will benefit your mental health and your opportunities at work.

24/09/2024

The 10th October will be World Mental Health Awareness Day and this year the official theme will be “It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace”

Mental Health UK have reported that 20% of UK employees have taken leave due to stress, in the last year alone. Burnout is now recognised as a significant challenge in our workforce, across all industries.

INDEXDIGITAL analysed the HSE Data from the UK Government and listed the 10 most stressful professions in the UK today

10- National Government Administration
9 – Human Resources
8 – Secondary School Teachers
7 – Primary School Teachers
6 – Higher Education Professionals
5 – Hospital Nurses
4 – Community Nurses
3 – Welfare & Housing Association Employees
2 – Social Workers
1 – Police

https://www.indexdigital.co.uk/business-news/10-most-stressful-professions-in-the-uk-revealed

Bearing in mind, employers have a duty of care to support the mental health, safety and wellbeing of their employees, it’s worth asking yourself how is your employer safeguarding your mental health at work?

If you feel your work-life is impacting on your well-being and your employers are not offering you appropriate support, the following link maybe helpful so you can better understand your rights and your employer's obligations.

https://www.acas.org.uk

24/09/2024

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, Sept 2, 2024) under-utilising your skills at work poses a significant risk to your mental health.

Very often we can feel frustrated at work and it is very easy to blame those around us.

If this is a feeling that keeps happening to you, perhaps you need to think about whether you are in the right role?

Are you utilising your competencies the way you should?

Being your Authentic Work-Self is about aligning your inner value system with your professional life and until you achieve this, your job will just feel like a job and you will lack that career passion that is necessary for you to excel in what you do.

Successful people love their jobs because they are living their Authentic-Selves

However in order to achieve this, you have to invest time in learning more about who you are and what really makes you tick!

Talking therapies can be a great starting point!

To learn more www.themindwellclinic.co.uk

Ronan Carolan
CHP(NC), BA(Hons.)Psychology, MBS(Mgt), ANSTT, CHNC
Mental Health/ Well-being/ Hypnotherapy /Talking therapy