Suggestions for Supporting Well-being During Times of Uncertainty

Life is definitely challenging for many people at the moment. Although the challenge may not be specifically located at the workplace, rising living costs, job uncertainty and meeting mortgage payments can all undermine our physical and mental well-being and feeling of being in control.

This can make the demands at work feel more difficult, tempers become more easily frayed and anxiety can rise to the surface, leading to feelings of being overwhelmed and frightened or angry.

Over a period of time our physical and mental health can become affected in a number of ways, such as a change in sleep or eating patterns, headaches, digestive problems, lack of motivation and focus and withdrawal or irritation with others. We can even experience panic attacks when stress accumulates over time.

In order to stay well and manage these challenges try some of the following suggestions.

Try to proactively practice some form of relaxation, guided relaxation, listening to music, breathing, yoga.
Make sure that you have regular exercise because stress is primarily a physical response that requires some form of action.
See if you can pinpoint the trigger/s for your anxiety or stress and list them
Be clear about what areas are within your control and focus on them.
Set short term realistic goals to work towards a long term outcome, take a step at a time.
Do not stop social activities and things you do for fun, demanding times require that you pay particular attention to relaxation and enjoyment.
Try to catch the tendency to ‘catastrophise’ when thinking about situations and stay in the ‘here and now’.
Remember that feeling anxious or under threat can make you react unreasonably with partners, family and friends leading to misunderstandings. Try to stay calm during conversations.
You are not alone in your feelings, sharing how you feel with someone rather than bottling things up helps combat a sense of isolation.
If your organisation has an EAP or counselling service contact them for some sessions to help you think things through.
Find out if your organisation has a debtline, they can often help you plan your finances and negotiate payments for you.
Get help with panic attacks, either from on-line advice or from a GP or counsellor.
Serendipity is an important factor for people staying well and resilient. Try to look at the learning that a situation offers even if it’s tough going.