Stress Awareness Week 2019

This week is International Stress Awareness Week which is organised by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA).

Stress is defined by the Mental Health Foundation as “the degree to which you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope as a result of pressures that are unmanageable”.

The theme of Stress Awareness Week this year is Resilience, so we decided to ask a few PAVO colleagues what stress looks like to them (be that work-related or personal stress) and the strategies they use to bounce back from a period of stress.

How do you know you are stressed?

• I start organising things and get really “stressy” busy. I tidy in a manic fashion.
• I can’t sleep at night for ruminating. My mind wanders back to the stress. I can’t enjoy any leisure time.
• I start to talk quickly, my speech really speeds up.
• I get anxious. My heartbeat is faster. I’m sometimes short of breath. And my stomach plays up something chronic. At work I’m completely unfocused and rush from one task to another.
• I don’t sleep and I usually find it very easy to sleep.
• I eat more. And some of the stuff that’s not good for me like cake. And I drink more.
• I go into manic mode first and then my sleep’s disturbed. My skin can erupt and I get snappy.
• I can’t think straight. I can’t prioritise.
• I get irritable and snappy.
• I get impatient with people and / or things because I need to get on and deal with whatever’s causing me stress.

What helps you deal with stress?

• Keeping busy. I get more stressed if I overthink things. If I distract myself with busyness I can process things in a more rational fashion.
• I make lists. I can transfer the stress from my head to the paper and it’s parked. I do it for work and home.
• I like to go for a walk by the sea, listen to the waves and feel the sea breeze. I love it.
• I’m mindful that I need to take time out. An alarm bell will ring and I know I need to get out of the stressful situation and deal with it or I know it’s a slippery slope.
• I have a “happiness box” to look through when I’m feeling down. It contains little items that make you happy. It could be anything. A picture of your family. Something in your favourite colour. A poem. A magazine. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it’s very personal to you.
• I like my guided meditation app. It really helps me sleep - it clears your mind.
• Offloading. You should never go home from work with the worries of the day. 99% of the time that gets rid of any stress before I go home.
• Simply looking out of the window for a moment or popping out for a walk in the beautiful Dolerw Park.
• Being outside. Walking. Exercise. Healthy eating. Time to myself. Essential oils. And saying no.
• Cutting off from what I’m doing and distracting myself with something non work-related for a few minutes.
• Time out. Having a rant and then I’m fine after that.
• Exercise. Fresh air. Dogs.
• I make a decision to get up at 6am and into my routine of yoga and meditation followed by breakfast. I also make my lunch which means I’m not skipping meals or snacking. And I feel more in balance before I even get into work.

Look local

There are many sources of support if you are feeling stressed, and here in Powys you can look locally to find some of them.

Invest in Your Health is a free NHS course delivered over 5 sessions which is designed to provide practical tools and techniques to improve your quality of life and wellbeing. It is a modular course, so once you have completed the first one, Building Better Health, you can choose up to four more, such as Mindfulness, Focusing on the Positive and Follow up & Solution finding. The courses take place at venues around Powys or the sessions can be done via Skype.

Brecon and District Mind is running free Mindfulness taster sessions on 7 & 28 November. “It can be easy to rush through life without stopping to notice much. Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you – can improve your mental wellbeing”.

Open Minds is a new Mid & North Powys group meeting in Llandrindod Wells on the 1st and 3rd Mondays for people experiencing stress, depression or anxiety. Socialising is combined with tips and exercises.

Ponthafren Association in North Powys runs regular Stress Management courses. To find out more and sign up to the next course you can ring 01686 621586.

These are just a few examples of courses and activities running in Powys this Autumn and Winter. To find out more check out the Powys Mental Health website events calendar.

Singing has long been recognised as a way of reducing stress. You can find out about local singing groups and choirs on infoengine, the online services directory for Powys.

Surfing online for stress solutions

There are literally thousands of websites / organisations / services out there with ideas to help you deal with your stress. Some of our favourites:

The Mental Health Foundation’s Stress page - in 2018 Stress was the main theme of Mental Health Awareness Week.

ACAS has a useful page on workplace stress with documents you can download.

The Woodland Trust has a page on the benefits of exercising in nature which can help ease stress.

The National Trust has a beginner’s guide to forest bathing - research shows that two hours of mindful exploration in a forest could lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

Read on our blog the Top 10 Tips for Workforce Wellness - the theme of National Stress Awareness Day in 2016.

And if you have any good tips to share with our readers about how to deal with stress, let us know in the comments’ box below.

Introducing Mastermind - computerised CBT

Tanya Summerfield (left), an ICT (Information & Communication Technology) Project Manager at Powys teaching Health Board, is working to develop an innovative digital project to help support people experiencing depression in Powys. 

She is supported by her colleague Menna Reese (below), who is also helping to promote the roll-out of Mastermind in Powys.

We spoke to Tanya and Menna recently to find out more about Mastermind.

Tell us about your role at the health board 

To facilitate the implementation of two European Union projects, one of which is Mastermind, which is the introduction of the computerised Cognitive Behavior Therapy across Powys by November 2014.

What is the Mastermind Project?

The Mastermind Project aims to make high quality treatment for depression more widely available across Europe through the use of ICT. In Powys the software of choice is ‘Beating the Blues’ developed by Ultrasis.

What is cCBT? 

Computerised Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. 

Tell us about the Powys pilot of the Mastermind project

The pilot aims to facilitate access to cCBT through purchasing licenses and training primary care mental health staff in its application along with provision of video conferencing facilities between ‘GP and Specialist Clinician’ or ‘Specialist Clinician and patient’. 

How do you think it will benefit people who may be experiencing mental distress or be depressed?

The Programme will only be available for people with a diagnosis of low to moderate depression and the benefit will be access to the cCBT in the patient's own home at their convenience.

What is particularly innovative about the project? 

The Programme focuses on how to improve the lives of service users and their families using a recovery and enablement approach through embracing technological advances to date and minimising the need to travel to treatment centres.

Why has the health board decided to offer this type of mental health services in Powys?

In recognition of the rural terrain and the ratio of the primary mental health practitioners to the population, funding was sought through the EU to pilot the scheme prior to it becoming mainstream. In this way, we will be able to make psychological therapies more widely available.

What kind of links is the health board making with mental health services in other European countries as a result of this work, and how could this be beneficial to people in Powys?

Sharing good practice and regularly monitoring reports shared across 11 European sites, taking advantage of networking opportunities sharing experiences.

When will the Mastermind service be made available and who will be eligible to access it and how?

The time schedule identifies November 2014 as the start date and the trial will run for 17 months. Eligibility will depend on the diagnosis of low to moderate depression by the general practitioner, primary mental health clinicians or secondary mental health service.

How does the project tie in with the aims of the Together for Mental Health (Welsh Government strategy) and Powys Hearts & Minds strategy?

Poor mental health and illness have a significant impact on individuals, society and the economy overall. Together for Mental Health (Welsh Government 2012) sets out the Welsh Government's ambitions for improving the mental health service and promoting better mental health wellbeing across the whole population. This project will widen the availability of psychological therapies.

If people want to find out more about the Mastermind Project, who can they contact?

The EU Project Office on 01874 712765 or email Tanya.Summerfield@wales.nhs.uk

Thank you Tanya and Menna for introducing us to the Mastermind Project in Powys. You can find out more about the Mastermind Project on the project website here, and also join the debate on Twitter here, or tell us what you think by commenting below.

Coming Off Medications Guide

The Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs, published by The Icarus Project and Freedom Center five years ago, is now available in a revised edition!

The new second edition has expanded Resources, scores of new collaborators and Advisors, new topics, more detail on the reducing and coming off process, and additional ideas for harm reduction and staying on medications.

Thousands of people worldwide have used this Guide to help themselves and people they know become more empowered around medications, including coming off. Even professionals and mental health agency staff have been downloading the free guide, to fill gaps in their own knowledge and give to their clients. Now the Guide in its second edition is even better, incorporating reader feedback and new ideas.

You can download the new version here:

http://theicarusproject.net/HarmReductionGuideComingOffPsychDrugs

For more information, see the Icarus Project website