Put on a happy face

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Every year UK businesses lose £26 billion and 70 million working days because of workplace stress.

Mental health is still taboo in the workplace, with millions of people feeling that they need to put on a ‘brave face’ and hide their workplace stress.

The Charity MIND has just launched its latest campaign
 Taking care of business: mental health at work.

Having experienced workplace stress myself in the past and having seen the effects on others in a similar situation,I wanted to bring MIND's work to the attention of my blog readers.
 
Mind week 15-22 May 2010 Learn more about the campaign.

Mind today presents compelling new evidence that the recession has had a devastating effect on the wellbeing of British workers. The charity has found that since the recession 1 in 10 workers have sought support from their doctors and 7% have started taking antidepressants for stress and mental health problems directly caused by the pressures of recession on their workplace. The findings, which launch Mind’s campaign Taking Care of Business, coincide with new government statistics showing the biggest rise in antidepressant prescriptions ever, with a record 39.1 million issued in 2009, up from 35.9 million in 2008.

Mind’s Populus poll of 2050 workers found that as a direct result of recession:

• 1 in 10 had visited their GP for support
• 7% had started a course of medical treatment for depression 
• 5% had seen a counsellor 
• Half said staff morale was low 
• 28% were working longer hours 
• A third said staff were having to compete against each other.
  ...... read more here
  Symptoms of stress  Stress affects different people in different ways, and everyone has a different method of dealing with it.
  
  The chemicals that are released by your body as a result of stress can build up over time and cause various mental and physical symptoms. These are listed below.
  
  Mental symptoms
  
  
  • anger,
  • depression,
  • anxiety,
  • changes in behaviour,
  • food cravings,
  • lack of appetite,
  • frequent crying,
  • difficulty sleeping (mental),
  • feeling tired, and
  • difficulty concentrating.
  
  Physical symptoms
  
  
  • chest pains,
  • constipation or diarrhoea,
  • cramps or muscle spasms,
  • dizziness,
  • fainting spells,
  • nail biting,
  • nervous twitches,
  • pins and needles,
  • feeling restless,
  • a tendency to sweat,
  • sexual difficulties such as erectile dysfunction or a loss of sexual desire,
  • breathlessness,
  • muscular aches, and
  • difficulty sleeping (physical).
    
    If you feel you may be suffering from workplace stress, then I urge you to please, speak up and ask for help.
     
    For further help and advice you can visit MIND's website http://www.mind.org.uk
    
    As a therapist, some of you may already know, that I specialise in complementary therapy for stress, anxiety and depression, should you wish to find out more about my therapy work or for confidential advice you can  contact me at Get a Life!
    
    Until next time,
    Make every moment count,
    don't suffer in silence.
    
    Lisa x