Stress is a subject that is talked about constantly, workplace stress, NHS stress, financial stress, children suffering from the harmful effects of stress, you name it, we are talking about it.  But what are we actually know about it and what are we doing to reduce the harm that stress is causing millions of people?  I am sharing this intensely personal stress related experience with you all in the hope it raises awareness that even the strongest of us can be struck down from the harmful effects of stress.

None of us are immune to the harmful effects of negative stress

I’ve made a short video, if you haven’t seen it, I invite you to watch it, it is not for the faint hearted, however, it will demonstrate on a very personal level what can happen when you internalise negative feelings and emotions.

You don’t need to know the reasons why I was forced to internalise my stress response; the same thing could happen to any of you. Whether you are a bricklayer, law enforcement officer, office administrator, line manager, Managing Director, Prime Minister or a cleaner, what happened to me could happen to you. 

I don’t want to bore you with the details, so I am going to ask you to watch the video to understand my experience. I’ve even included a couple of photos!

Life deals all of us a hand of cards. In many cases we are not stuck with those cards, we can make changes and develop our lives into something meaningful and positive. However, in some cases situations are forced upon us and because of duty, loyalty, love which was my case, I just had to shut up and get on with it. Little did I know at what cost this was having on my mental health.  Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m confident, bubbly, funny, competent and most will perceive that I can endure just about anything. I had third stage bowel cancer five years ago, and although I went through all the anguish associated with such a diagnosis, people praised how I dealt with it.  And yes, dealing with this intense physical illness was a dawdle compared with the mental anguish I am experiencing now.

Let’s try to look at this in a workplace context

In the UK 822,000 people are suffering from work related stress, anxiety or depression. And that’s just the number of people who are admitting to feeling this way. Working environments have the potential to improve mental health.  Employers have the opportunity to contribute to good mental health at work, by providing a psychologically safe working environment.  In human terms, can you imagine how amazing it is for someone who might be struggling personally, to be able to come into a place of safety for eight hours a day? Employers - You can provide this!

Potential work-related scenarios

Imagine working in an organisation where psychological safety was nurtured and valued. You worked effectively with the team and on your own iniatitive and thrived both professionally and personally. Then a family member was brought into the business and your psychologically safe place of work became toxic. The role you played in the business was threatened and lines blurred, and instead of feeling happy to be at work, anxiety became a constant companion. You found it hard to get to sleep at night and woke up early morning with a feeling of dread. What would you do?  Would you resign or internalise the anxiety and be unhappy?  This is where change was forced upon you and there was nothing you could do about it.  I would consider this a major stressor that would have the potential to cause mental harm.

Another situation that could occur is that you would be promoted from being 'on the tools' to a managerial position. You were an exemplary operative and knew the workplace inside out and indeed were very familiar with all of the team. But you have no formal management training and don't want to let the boss think you are not up to the job. Do you speak to your manager and explain that you would require some training?  Do you say nothing and internalise your anxiety and insecurity and increase the risk of you suffering from the harmful effects of stress?  Here again is a potential major stressor that could cause mental ill-health, not just for you, but your team who you might be taking your frustration and unhappiness.

Maybe you are being bullied. On the surface it is all a bit of fun. Someone has noticed you have big ears and remarked about it. Perhaps they are calling you Shrek and the nickname sticks. And you hate it but say nothing. Every time someone says 'Ask Shrek to do that', 'Has anybody seen Shrek'?  A little bit of anxiety tumbles in your tummy, but you smile and pretend it is all right. You are out with your son playing ten pin bowling and one of the workmates are there and shouts 'What about you Shrek' and your face burns in front of your boy. Here is a potential major stressor that has the potential to cause mental harm. Not only is the workplace not pschologically safe, but it is actually spilling out to your private life. 

There are numerous ways that people in the workplace can be exposed to potentially harmful stressors, so understanding how to recognise situations and to put in place controls to reduce the risk is essential to building this psychologically safe working environment we strive for.

Look at how you are managing stress – are you following the HSE Management Standards?

Demands – do your employees have the knowledge, training, time, resources etc to be able to meet the demands of their workloads? If there is a shortfall and you don’t know about it, this could lead to harmful stress.

Control – how much say do your employees have in how they carry out their work safely? Your employee got the job with you because they demonstrated competence, are you respecting this? If not, might that be a stressful situation all round?

Support – do your employees know where to turn if they are not coping so that they do not have to suffer in silence and internalise harmful stress?

Relationships – How are you managing those?  I know wind-ups can be hilarious, but what if they are not for the person who is the butt of the joke?  Is someone suffering in silence and internalising stress? What are you doing about that?

Role – when did you last discuss your employees’ role with regards to work, may there be conflicting roles? Could an employee be juggling too many roles and afraid to say anything leading to potential stress?

Change – In these days of uncertainty and financial worry, communication is key to reducing the risk of people perceiving things rather than knowing the facts. If your employees don’t know what is going on, they could be perceiving the worst! How is that going for you?

I have spent the last 15 years studying, researching and training people to understand how they can work in a safe and productive workplace, if you need my help, just ask me. I am here for you!

I am imploring employers, the enforcing authority, the government and anyone with influence, start tackling negative stress – it is killing people and it nearly killed me.