Increased levels of stress and anxiety calls for immediate action
At the beginning of November we issued a survey that asked our followers how their mental wellness is at this present time.
It’s so important, now more than ever, to ensure we’re all looking after our own mental wellness but also looking out for others by checking in on them and ensuring they are doing ok too. I’m sure most of us reading this could say they themselves or someone they know has seen an increase in their stress and anxiety levels over the past 9 months. I don’t think I’m alone when I say I’m looking forward to seeing the back of 2020!
Our survey found that 60% of those who took part felt their stress and anxiety levels were higher than normal at this present time. They also stated that they were able to manage through the support of their employer, friends or family. Which just shows how important it is to be aware of how others may be feeling.
10% stated that their levels of stress and anxiety were much higher than normal and they were struggling to cope. For anyone reading this who is feeling the same, there is help out there. Ben, the automotive charity, offers a wonderful service and I would urge you to get in touch with them directly.
But what is it that’s making us feel like this? I think the obvious point is predominantly the catastrophic effects that Covid-19 has caused. Not only has it affected the health of those who have had it, loved ones have been lost, so many people have been made redundant, those who are lucky enough to still have a job are often juggling working from home whilst having children off school, many individuals who are working from home miss the interaction with other colleagues and find it hard to switch off at the end of their day. The list goes on.
One of our survey participants shared that they found social media and the news to be one of the biggest factors to their stress and anxiety levels increasing. I couldn’t agree more. I bet if you scrolled through your feed, be it LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, you would see something negative within the first few minutes. Perhaps we’re all guilty of adding to this?
In a recent article published on the e-zine, we shared 5 top tips for dealing with stress. One of which was to try a ‘fake commute’. Something one of our survey participants has been doing since reading it. They have found doing this daily has really helped to reduce their stress levels. They particularly found it a struggle to separate work and downtime because they are working from home.
So what else can we do to ensure we’re looking after our own mental wellbeing and that of others? Worrying about things that we can’t influence or do anything about makes us feel helpless and causes stress, so try to switch off from things you can’t control and focus on what you can. I strongly feel we need to keep the conversation going, talk to someone, offer advice to our friends, family and colleagues, check in on our neighbours, spread positivity, be kind to one another. Not just now, but always.
Article written by Victoria Trudgill, Campaign Manager, Automotive 30% Club