Health and Wellbeing News

Stress and anxiety can sometimes feel similar – think of your heart beating faster as you get closer to an important work presentation or that nagging feeling that you forgot to put the milk back in the refrigerator. But there’s a difference. Stress is the body’s natural “fight or flight” response to an external trigger like a deadline or a doctor’s appointment.

It is also accompanied by physical sensations – your breathing starts to quicken and certain muscles in your body feel tighter in anticipation of real or perceived harm. It also comes with emotional symptoms, such as a feeling of being overwhelmed, getting agitated, or having difficulty quieting your mind.

This is where anxiety comes in – characterised by persistent and excessive worrying, it is the body’s natural response to stress. The link between anxiety and lack of sleep is well established but it can be hard to tell which comes first. Are you sleepless because you are anxious or are you anxious because you lack sleep? It is the ultimate chicken and egg situation.

David Neubauer, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, says that the relationship between anxiety and sleep is “bidirectional”, meaning that they affect each other, and that it can be difficult to determine which came first. Mild stress and anxiety are manageable. There are many ways to cope, from meditating to simply getting more sleep.

How sleeping better helps you cope with stress and anxiety

New research by scientists at the University of California (UC) Berkeley suggests that deep sleep is a natural remedy for anxiety.

During the study, researchers detected excessive activity in regions of the brain linked to processing emotions. A part of the brain called the medial prefrontal cortex, which is believed to reduce anxiety and stress, also got deactivated after a night of sleeplessness.

As a result, anxiety increased by 30% in sleep-deprived participants.

By contrast, anxiety levels dropped after a night of sufficient sleep, especially in those who remained in the deep, slow-wave, stage of non-REM sleep for longer. The authors of the study are convinced that deep sleep restores the brain’s ability to regulate emotions and lower emotional reactivity, which in turn prevents anxiety levels from escalating.

Follow these basic tips for getting a good night’s sleep:

• Keep regular hours – Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time, all the time, will programme your body to sleep better.
• Create a restful sleeping environment – Your bedroom should be kept for rest and sleep. It should be neither too hot, nor too cold, and as quiet and dark as possible.
• Make sure your bed is comfortable – It’s difficult to get deep, restful sleep on one that’s too soft, too hard, too small or too old.
• Take more exercise (where possible) – Regular exercise such as walking or home workouts can help relieve the day’s stresses and strains. But not too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake!
• Cut down on stimulants – such as caffeine in tea or coffee, especially in the evening. They interfere with falling asleep and prevent deep sleep. Have a hot milky drink or herbal tea instead.
• Don’t over-indulge – Too much food or alcohol, especially late at night just before bedtime, can play havoc with sleep patterns.
• Avoid smoking – Yes, it’s bad for sleep, too! Smokers take longer to fall asleep, wake more often and often experience more sleep disruption.
• Try to relax before going to bed – Have a warm bath, listen to some quiet music or do some yoga to help relax your mind and body.
• Make jobs lists – Deal with worries or a heavy workload by making lists of things to be tackled the next day.
• Switch off devices at least an hour before bed – Many people are also affected by the blue light emitted from laptops, tablets and smartphones and can be addicted to playing games, scrolling through social media, or watching videos close to bedtime.
• If you can’t sleep – don’t spend more than 20 minutes trying to get to sleep; get up and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy again – then go back to bed.

If you are experiencing problems sleeping and feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

Useful Links for more tips and information:

• www.carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk
• https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-guidelines-covid-19-isolation
• https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/
• https://troublesleeping.co.uk/

If you would like to view the Webinar on Sleep Anxiety in line with World Sleep day it is being delivered live on Friday 19th March at 12pm, please use the following link to register for this session –
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6782234535227682317

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.

Has Lockdown lifting got you more scared and anxious than excited?

Jamie Windust (editor) spoke to the Independent saying “I think what a lot of people will be feeling, myself included, is a fear of not just getting back to the way we used to live, but the mental struggles that come with working at such a fast pace. In the real world there’s the pressure to work constantly, to exercise, to be seen to be having fun.”

Considering this, I guess we need to ask ourselves will some of the new freedoms we found in 2020-2021 be lost again as we jump back onto the roller coaster of “real life”?

For many millions of people, the thought of coming out of lockdown and joining the world again, can be as scary and anxiety provoking than going into our first lockdown in March 2020. Why might this be? Well, consider the “unknown” of the very first lockdown.

Questions such as “Is this serious, can I catch it, how can I keep myself and my family safe, how long will it last, I am worried about working from home, will I be able to see my family, what is going to happen longer term?” Now, as we approach the possibility of the lifting of lockdown, one could argue that those questions apply again and for many people remain very real concerns.

Fear and anxiety are possibly the most common emotional responses any of us will feel as we approach the release from lockdown. Finding a way to pull ourselves through lockdown took a lot of our emotional energy and we may have found a place that lets us cope, and that we don’t want to leave behind just yet.

Just as it took us time to find ways of coping during lockdown, we should also expect that it will take time to find our way back, and to reconnect with life. Things are very unlikely be the same as they were before. How might they be and how can we prepare and “manage” yet another transition

The Mental Health Foundation say “mental health tips: about finding routines, staying connected, eating well, and taking exercise apply just as much now as they did at the start of lockdown – arguably even more so as we remain in a period of high stress but with more demands on us.”

Some tips to help up prepare

Recognise you have choices…..

Although it might not feel this way, the pandemic has in many ways created more choices, by forcing us all to realise that the established ways of working could be upturned in an instant. “Now there is even more change to consider,” says Cooper-Dickson who believes that we shouldn’t see post-lockdown as a case of automatically and unquestioningly adapting back to our old realities but moving to new ones if the old ways weren’t working. Many organisations may be looking to adopt a more person focussed way to working where people are in the office only two-three days a week, rather than five. Talk with your manager/employer re any concerns you have in relation in return to the office environment. Try to be as honest with them as possible

Give yourself time

The speed at which each of us adapts will vary from person to person. Cooper-Dickson advises “taking it at your own pace and focusing on what you can control”. Even if the country is on track for all restrictions to be dropped by 21 June, doesn’t mean you have to jump right into social commitments. “Even though we might be really excited to meet up with friends, we could feel a little out of our comfort zone for a while as we get used to it again.”

Take it at your own pace and focus on what you can control

Take small steps

Those with continued uncertainty can “look at the small steps you can take to create your own mini routines or structures at home,” when lockdown restrictions are eased,”

The 9-5 may no longer be the norm, but hopefully we will take positives from the pandemic and we can slowly relearn to converse face-to-face, build our confidence back up and return to the “new normal” whatever that may be.

Remember you are not alone

It’s important to remember that you won’t be alone in feeling end-of-lockdown anxiety. There are so many other people who feel exactly as you do. And so try not to be hard on yourself if you are struggling – the pandemic has been, and continues to be, a really significant and disruptive, challenging and “life altering” time of our lives

To join the webinar register on Please register for Anxiety of Lifting Lockdown on Mar 18, 2021 12:00 PM GMT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7969443210436757262

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Monday 22nd  – World Happiness Day

Tuesday 23rd – Stress & Finding Ways Through It

Wednesday 24th – Separation Anxiety

Thursday 25th – How Care First Can Support You

Friday 26th – Things To Consider When Planning To Go On Holiday This Year

For full details and the links to register for the webinars click here: Care First Webinars W/C 22nd March 2021

As the COVID-19 situation progresses and the Government guidance continues to change, individuals may be feeling anxious, tired and fed up a year on from the first COVID-19 lockdown in England. Mental Health support during times like these are paramount, which is why Care first have worked tirelessly to ensure our services remain available 24/7 throughout the pandemic to provide emotional and practical support and ensure we have every aspect of your overall wellbeing covered.

Now we are at the end of a year since the start of the first lockdown in England it could be considered a good time to reflect on ‘How Care first has supported through a year of the pandemic’. For many of us we may feel like just forgetting the last year altogether due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Many have experienced loss, isolation, loneliness, stress and anxiety caused by uncertainty – which could never have been anticipated.

Care first services have remained in place throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with the only change being to face to face counselling that has been conducted via video link instead due to the COVID-19 restrictions. This will remain the case until government guidance changes.

Care first have provided extra resources throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in the way of the weekly COVID-19 communication pack. This pack contains a weekly calendar of themes, articles on each theme and a live webinar for each article/theme for the week. Care first wanted to provide this extra support to the organisations and people that we support.

During the last year Care first have hosted 243 webinars through the weekly COVID-19 communication pack. These 243 webinars have had over 30,000 people register to watch the live event and over 9,000 people watch the recorded version via Go to Webinar. This is on average is a 160 people per webinar who have either registered for the live event or who have watched the webinar recording retrospectively. There is likely to be many more people who have viewed the webinars through the Care first Lifestyle website too, which we cannot see how many people have viewed them via this method.

The three webinars with the most registrants for the live webinars were:

• Understanding anxiety and tips to cope (Link: https://youtu.be/6bRlsBEgZ6Q) – 879 registrants
• Stress, Resilience and Mental Health (Link: https://youtu.be/qhWE9K6x42I) – 834 registrants
• Tips for home schooling and keeping children occupied at home (Link: https://youtu.be/LqOGkXaV9z8) – 684 registrants

Care first will continue to put together the COVID-19 weekly communication pack and send it out to support organisations and people during these uncertain times. The second page of this article looks at some anonymised feedback from people in relation to the webinars and also where to find all the COVID-19 advice and support on the Care first Lifestyle website.

Some Anonymised Feedback: Care first COVID-19 Weekly Communication Pack

• “Thank you, these are going down really well with our staff.”
• “Just wanted to say that the feedback from staff is that these are really helpful.”
• “There have been some great quality webinars, very informative.”
• “The anxiety one was excellent. I’m attending every day! Fantastic!”
• “Really enjoyed your talk. It was really inspirational & has motivated me to do more to help people.”
• “Thank you for the webinar last week. It was a helpful reminder of what we need to do to maintain mental health during this crisis.”

The Care first Lifestyle Website: Dedicated COVID-19 Support Section

All of the weekly calendars, articles and webinars that Care first have put together throughout the COVID-19 pandemic can be found via the Care first Lifestyle website (as shown above). If you are not sure of your organisations login details for the Care first Lifestyle website, please check with your HR/People team.

How can Care first help?

If you feel you may need some emotional or practical support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. Whilst our BACP accredited counsellors are available 24/7 to provide support with emotional issues, our expertly trained information specialists are available 8am-8pm Monday-Friday to provide advice on any practical issues that may be causing you a stress or worry and help you feel more in control of a situation. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support.

If you would like to learn more about “COVID-19 – How Care first have supported through a year of COVID-19” Then please join our webinar on Wednesday 17th March at 12pm using the details below – https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1121849719385154574

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place. If you wish to contact the Care first telephone counselling and information line then please don’t hesitate to call the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

Nutrition and hydration are vital for us to function properly and we must take good care of ourselves on this front especially for older people. Poor nutrition or hydration can have a myriad of negative effects on us which can then in turn affect our mental wellbeing.

Ensuring you’re providing your body with the right intakes each day helps keep us in tip top condition and will also help us defend better against illness. Considering the last year we have all experienced a global pandemic it is of no surprise people are looking to take more care of themselves. Below are some things to consider:

Are you getting enough nutrients?

We all have varying diets, but we all know that a balanced diet is key. If you’re not getting enough nutrients you may have some of the below:

• Tiredness/Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Irritability

Are staying hydrated enough?

As our bodies are up to 60% water it is vitally important to keep hydrated to ensure we continue to function as desired. If you’re not keeping yourself hydrated enough you might experience:

• Dry mouth
• Dry skin
• Tiredness or disorientation
• Low blood pressure

Tips to help maintain good hydration & nutrition

There are small things we can do in our day to day lives that will help us, below are some things to bear in mind if you’re looking to improve your diet to stay healthy and hydrated:

• Try to drink water regularly throughout the day. NHS England recommend 2 litres a day.
• If you want to stay hydrated but you’re not a big fan of water, things like coffee, tea, herbal tea, juice, tonic etc. all help.
• In the summer you should be keeping more hydrated due to the heat. Consider the above points but also something more exciting would be to make some fruit juice lollies to have. This can be a great way to keep kids hydrated too.
• Foods can also contain water to keep you hydrated as some naturally contain water such as cucumbers and water melons.
• Try to have at least 5 portions of different types of fruit and veg per day. Smoothies always go down a treat with the kids too. Doing this will help to keep hydrated but also give your body more nutrients.
• Try not to eat too much saturated fat, sugar and salt. Salt in particular can cause a rise in blood pressure which can lead to things like heart disease.
• If you like to snack, rather than crisps or a chocolate bar try and find some healthy alternatives like some fruit or nuts.

More information

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Tips for Nutrition & Hydration’ is being delivered live on Tuesday 16th March at 12:00pm-12:30pm, please use the following link to register for this session –
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7755708045575470860

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.

If you feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

As the COVID-19 situation is progressing and the Government guidance continues to change, individuals may be feeling anxious. Mental Health support during times like these are paramount, which is why Care first have worked tirelessly to ensure our services remain available 24/7 throughout the pandemic to provide emotional and practical support and ensure we have every aspect of your overall wellbeing covered. Where clinically appropriate Care first are continuing to offer structured counselling through phone and virtual software. At Care first the health and safety of both you the employee and our counselling team are absolutely paramount, any changes to our structured counselling process will be made in line with government guidance.

These services include:

Counselling support

Our team of professionally trained, qualified and BACP Accredited Counsellors are available 24/7 to offer support for personal or workplace related issues. As well as the headline issues surrounding mental health, our Care first counsellors are also trained in dealing with both work and home grievances, bullying & harassment issues, domestic violence, relationships at both home and at work and much more. No matter how big or small the problem may be, our counsellors are here for you to provide you with unbiased support away from the situation. Everyone has very individual needs for support, Care first provides short term focused counselling, so the Care first Counsellor will assess your circumstances when you call to establish what the most appropriate form of support will be for you. It might be that you just need a brief conversation with the Counsellor that day, or you may benefit from a few more sessions.

Information Specialists

As control, or the lack of it, can be an influencing factor on the impact of stress. Many individuals identify stress as emotional, however, a lack of control around practical issues can be just as impactful. We have expert advisors that have been trained by Citizens Advice who can provide you with comprehensive answers and assistance on a wide range of practical issues which can affect our daily life, these include but are not limited to; redundancy, advice on funerals and probate, legal information, housing and tenancy issues, childcare, eldercare, health, consumer issues, employment, travel and education. Our Information Specialists are also money trained experts and can provide support with a variety of financial queries such as help with budgeting finances and advice with benefits. You can speak with one of our Information Specialists confidentially Monday-Friday between 8am-8pm.

Management Support

If you are a manager, have leadership responsibilities, or look after a team within your organisation, it is as important as ever that your colleagues are made aware of the range of support available from Care first. As well as supporting you to signpost your colleagues to the Care first service effectively to maintain your managerial boundaries, Care first can also provide you with support within your role as a manager. Care first Counsellors are all management trained and can provide support with issues such as if the organisation is going through a period of redundancy, managing change and difficult conversations, workplace performance, remote working, absence management and
disciplinaries.

Care first Lifestyle

Through the Care first lifestyle site you can access a wide range of supportive information, read helpful articles published by our team, view Webinars covering a variety of well-being topics and even speak with a Care first Counsellor in real-time via our online counselling facility. You can log into your account by visiting www.carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk and logging in using your organisation’s unique log in details. If you are unsure what these details are then please contact your line manager or HR department. The Care first Lifestyle website is great place to go to learn more about Care first and the different areas that we can support in.

How all of these above services link together

All the services that we offer complement each other to ultimately encompass an individual’s overall mental and physical wellbeing, which enables individuals to access professional and clinically proven support.

Our counselling support is available 24/7 to help individuals with any emotional issues that they may have. Our Information Specialists can help individuals with practical information and advice. This practical support is so important because if an individual is concerned about a practical issue, then this can cause detrimental effects to their emotional wellbeing. By getting some support from an Information Specialist this will provide the individual with some clarity on that particular issue, which may help them to feel more in control of a situation and relieve some anxiety.

The Care first Lifestyle site can help individuals who are concerned about an issue. The individual may not know where to start and they can have a look at the resources on our Lifestyle website which may be enough to help them. The Lifestyle website is a great starting place to learn about the types of issues that Care first can support with. The individual can also access our online counselling tool through the Lifestyle website which is an alternative way to access support from a counsellor. By an individual looking through all the resources on our Lifestyle website this can help them to get answers about an issue they may be having. Again by getting some clarity on their issue this may have a positive effect on their mental wellbeing.

If you would like to learn more about ‘How Care first can support you’ then please join our webinar on Monday 15th March at 12pm using the details below –
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9034437869680298766

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place. If you wish to contact the Care first telephone counselling and information line then please don’t hesitate to call the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

Monday 15th  – How Care First Can Support You

Tuesday 16th – Tips for Nutrition & Hydration

Wednesday 17th – How Care first has supported through a year of COVID-19

Thursday 18th – Lifting of Lockdown Anxiety

Friday 19th – Sleep Anxiety for World Sleep Day

For full details please use this link: Care First Webinars W/C 15th March 2021

The COVID Pandemic has made it hard for us to stay connected and maintain relationships in the usual ways. With imposed lockdowns and cancelling of any social events we are having to find other ways to maintain and nurture our relationships during this time.

Below are a few ways to do this and a few things to consider too when trying to maintain your social circle and relationship with loved ones whether you are living together or not.

Ways to maintain good relationships

Below are some small things we can all do to help maintain good relationships during lockdown but also are good to do in everyday life post lockdown too.

Make time for people – Everyone’s schedules are a bit up in the air with lockdown, but always try to keep some time aside to catch up with friends and family, whether that’s a phone or video call, or spending some quality time with the ones you live with.

Be engaged – Pay attention to people, make sure you’re properly listening and not distracted by your phone or work or anything else. This is greatly appreciated by others and this will often be reciprocated.

Be open and honest – Allow yourself to open up and share if there is anything bothering you, give others the chance to listen and offer support. Opening up helps to build and maintain trust in relationships.

Use technology to stay connected

In the age of technology there is no shortage of ways to stay in touch during lockdown. You have the ability to instant message friends and family on a range of platforms, social media, messaging apps, texting etc. You can also video call people, or even group calls using your phone or web applications, actually seeing the person you’re connecting with brings a bit more of a personal touch. There are plenty of options out there, make sure you utilise them to maintain relationships. If you are savvy with this tech, make sure you help those that aren’t get setup so they too can keep in touch.

You can also use these platforms, web forums and social media to connect with new people. Whether you connect with a group that focusses on some shared interests, or a friendly group you can chat to, it is often nice to mix it up and build new friendships.

Maintaining relationships at home

It is intense to be on lockdown with friends and loved ones, frustrations can build and put strain on relationships, taking a proactive step to avoid tensions rising can make all the difference. Create some house rules taking into account the above to help mitigate building tensions. Setting a time for spending quality time together on a regular basis can help maintain relationships, others may find everyone chipping in to help around the house might give others a sense of use when they feel there is nothing else to do. Create a place where people can share how they’re feeling without being scrutinised, a place where people can share if they’re struggling with anything and work out a solution. Each household could benefit from different things so assess the situation and make some suggestions that could work for yours.

Try to understand others and be patient

The stress and anxiety caused by lockdown affects us all differently, but it is common for these stresses and frustrations from lockdown to make us and others easily irritable. With this in mind we may find ourselves being more snappy than usual or having less patience with others and vice versa. To avoid this putting strain on your relationships it is best to consider that this frustration is heightened by the situation and perhaps not a true representation of how you or they feel. By understanding this it will help you recognise a situation before it becomes something bigger than it is.

More information

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Keeping connected and maintaining relationships during the pandemic’ is being delivered live on Friday 12th March at 12:00pm-12:30pm, please use the following link to register for this session –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5008978465673812750

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.

If you feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and
you can speak to a professional in confidence.