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Stress Management

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12 stress management tips for mental health social workers by Simeon Brody on 27 February , 2012 in mental health
Mark-Drinkwater-029.jpgby Mark Drinkwater, a mental health social worker and Community Care practice adviser

1. Identify the cause of your stress

The first step is to identify the cause of your stress. Take a few deep breaths and try to think about what is making you feel that way. Only then will you be in a position to tackle the causes and see what you might be able to change.

2. Take control of your stress

Stress won’t go away on its own. A feeling of a loss of control will exacerbate you stress. If you feel you have too little control over your work, insist on having a supervision session with your line manager where you can address this together.

3. Focus on the positives

Negative thinking contributes to stress. Reflect on the positives in your life and get in the habit of celebrating your successes.

Remember the Louis Armstrong song: When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you.

4. Connect with people

It’s good to talk and connecting with others can help us relax. Actively seek out the support of your colleagues. Likewise, having the support of family and friends can help you through difficult situations at work.

5. Manage your time

Managing your time allows you to prioritise your workload effectively. Resist the urge to take work home with you and accept that you will always have to leave some work for tomorrow.

6. Think of others

It might sound odd suggesting to social workers to think of other people. But there is plenty of evidence that helping others makes you feel better about yourself – so you might want to try out some of the great ideas on the Random Acts of Kindness website or check out this video.

7. Avoid unhealthy coping strategies

Don’t rely on smoking or alcohol as a way of dealing with stress. These just provide temporary relief and do not help you tackle the source of your stress.

8. Challenge yourself

Set yourself new goals and challenges. Learning a language or trying a new fitness exercise will help you gain a sense of achievement, which can increase your emotional resilience.

9. Find some time for yourself

Social workers are renowned for working long hours. That extra time at work means that you aren’t socialising with friends. It’s worth setting aside regular nights in the week where you commit to spending time with friends or family, rather than being tempted to stay late at the office.

10. Get some exercise

Build regular exercise into your daily routine. Working out at the gym or going for a run can help you unwind. It might even get in the right state to identify solutions to your stressful situation.

11. Change your perceptions

There are things you will find you are unable to change. If you can’t change something, then maybe you can change your perception of it.

12. Learn to relax

Learn some relaxation techniques such as muscle relaxation or mindfulness meditation. These require practice but are proven methods of coping with stressful situations.

Expert practice advice for social workers

Community Care Inform has a range of invaluable expert-written guides to stress, including:

Managing stress – a manager’s guide

Guide to compassion fatigue and secondary trauma in human services

Guide to working with emotion: A practice educator perspective

Guide to effective supervision: What is it and how can supervisors ensure they provide it?

Not an Inform user?

Visit www.ccinform.co.uk or call Kim Poupart on 0208 652 4848 to find out more about Inform

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