Living and working with unwanted stress

Article content

Whether your at home or at work, stress is stress. So states the recent Mental Health Index, offered by LifeWorks, a provider of digital and in-person well-being solutions. The recent survey showed there’s an even split among Canadians between work stressors and personal stressors, all resulting in a variety of negative impacts.

Article content

One of the more alarming issues to come out of the latest Index findings is the fact that, after four months of improvements, the mental health of working Canadians declined in June 2022.

The recent findings revealed that 26% of Canadians report work stressors as their primary source of stress, citing “volume of work, performance demands, and lack of support,” as the leading sources of stress, according to recent media material, adding that 26% of Canadians that report personal stressors such as “difficulties sleeping, inability to relax, and emotional changes such as anxiety and depression,” as their primary source of stress.

Meanwhile, some 74% Canadians report feeling a combination of the two.

Yet, Canadians who felt their mental well-being was supported by their employers during the pandemic have among the highest mental health scores in the index, according to the recent media release. It appears employees who felt their mental health was supported by their employer during the pandemic “have a mental health score more than seven points higher than the national average and nearly 15 points higher than those who did not feel their mental health was supported.”

Article content

“The data makes it clear those who feel their mental health is supported by their employer are in a better place,” says LifeWorks’ global leader and senior vice-president of research and total well-being, Paula Allen, in a recent release. “Work is an essential part of life, and the support that employers can provide help people deal with all issues – both personal and work related.”

Allen adds that there are two parts to this situation: “One is the workplace experience where people benefit from flexibility, psychological safety and a sense of belonging. The other is providing resources for individuals and their families, including offering and promoting an employee and family assistance program, and related programs and  benefits.

Article content

“Both types of support are critical.”

The Index revealed employees who felt supported reported the top two actions their employers took were offering flexibility, and promoting mental health services and resources.

That said, when it came to dealing with stress from all areas, “it’s important to note that personal issues are equally impactful,” added LifeWorks president and CEO, Stephen Liptrap, in a recent media release. “While many organizations have  marked the recent months as a return to a semblance of normalcy, it’s clear we are not out of the woods just yet. We have not seen a collective mental health score this low since January, which signals that conversations surrounding employee well-being and support should be continuing to ramp up, not slow down.”

Article content

We know Canadians have stress – but what exactly does this mean? It appears the word stress is much like an umbrella that covers such issues as anxiety, depression and can manifest itself not only in mental pain but emotional and physical ways as well – everything from disruptions of sleeping habits to eating disorders to medical issues and even permeating into the world of substance abuse.

From a physical and emotional level, stress is a basic reaction to a situation many see as a challenge or a pressure. And surprisingly – on occasion – stress can be a  good thing, as it acts as a motivater to galvanize sufferers to make healthy lifestyle changes, even though research shows stress can also leave one feeling inundated and unable to handle the various hurdles Canadians face on a daily basis.

Article content

It’s much like a double-edged sword that millions of Canadians walk every single day.

Are we seeing more people in distress? Absolutely, says Dr. Monica Vermani, clinical psychologist and author of A Deeper Wellness: Conquering Stress, Mood, Anxiety and Traumas, in an earlier interview. “With the uncertainty of the times, the sudden changes in reality for many due to COVID and the lockdown people have struggled with, managing stress…has certainly seen more people suffering,” Vermani said.

Stress can be felt on a daily basis but is so low-key it becomes a part of a person’s identity. Yet, according to Statistics Canada report on work-related stress issues, 27% of Canadian workers claim to have “high to extreme levels of stress on a daily basis,” and that “low income workers tend to have lower general stress while high income workers have higher general stress.”

Article content

What to do? Don’t walk it off, but talk it off. Talking about stress can be one of the biggest factors in helping find the answers to alleviate stress in the first place. So says California-based licensed marriage and family therapist Morgan Goulet, in a recent blog posting on Fitbit (blog.fitbit.com).

“You might think that not talking about or acknowledging stress will make it go away. But, as it turns out, the opposite is true— and holding stress in can not only exacerbate stressful feelings, but can also have a negative impact on your health, says Goulet on the blogsite. “Our bodies continue to hold on to the feelings and emotions we don’t release (and) prolonged stress is particularly damaging to the body.”

Learn to talk it out as part of the healing process, adds Goulet. “Talking openly about our stress, even if it’s simply telling someone we feel stressed or overwhelmed, provides a base for them to know that we are struggling and may need support or flexibility for the time being,” adds Goulet.