Stress Awareness Month: Solutions are only a conversation away

On Stress Awareness Month, Vanessa Sampson, Director of People & Culture at Locale, dives deeper into the different ways stress manifests itself and how conversations and consistent small changes are the key to managing this for work-life harmony.

If we are to learn how to reduce and manage stress, we must first understand what it is and how it can present.

Acute stress happens when we, for example, trip on the stairs or get called into an unexpected meeting. This stress will pass, and once processed, we move on.

Chronic stress is more troublesome. In the workplace, it can be shown by a drop in work performance, withdrawal, anxiety, and unwarranted outbursts to everyday occurrences. It is hard to untangle and find the culprits which are usually long hours, a heavy workload, job insecurity and conflicts with co-workers; addressing it becomes more intricate when stress factors from home life contribute.

At Locale, one of our key tools is conversations. Debilitating emotions, set-backs, conflict and concerns are part of every-day life, and when addressed early on, learnings enable staff to build on their achievements and successes. I would always advise anyone to reach out, talk to your manager or colleague, seek counselling; solutions are only a conversation away.

This doesn’t mean we should immediately dive head-first into deep conversations with every person we interact with. Taking time to connect with others and reducing any sense of isolation is a wonderful way to build trustworthy relationships and begin having open conversations. Therefore, you can better understand:

• Who and what may trigger your stress response and why
• The positive and negative impact your emotions and reactions can have on colleagues
• Your limitations and when to ask for help
• Where you can better achieve consistency and your learning journey

Conversations at Locale can be anything from a quick check-in and quarterly staff social gathering to regular reviews of employee’s roles and responsibilities and, as of this year, providing more accessible learning resources to increase everyone’s varied skills. By boosting employee confidence and helping them to feel in control of their career progression, this can free up the mental capacity to balance life at home, too.

Finding harmony between life at home and at work is challenging. But the common denominator of both is you. By prioritising your mental health and personal wellbeing and understanding how it affects all your interactions both at home and at work, you will give yourself the greatest chance of being your best and achieving your goals, no matter how big or small. Always remember the many resources available to you, both during and after Stress Awareness Month, and that solutions are only a conversation away.