National Stress Awareness

For National Stress Awareness, we thought it would be best to shine a light on what some of the people at Active do to de-stress. After all, we all know what it's like to feel stressed, but when it comes to winding down, it's important to take the time to relax.

Stress is our body's response to pressures from a situation or life event. It is inevitable, there will be stressful periods in your life and the causes of stress can vary. Stress tends to originate from experiencing something new or unexpected, something that threatens your feeling of self, or feeling you have little control over a situation – all of these can be at work or in your personal life.

Becoming overwhelmed by stress can lead to mental health problems or make existing problems worse. Stress plays a big part in absenteeism.Figures released this month by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) state that work-related stress anxiety or depression accounts for over half of all working days lost due to ill health in Great Britain.

At Active, we encourage staff to look after their wellbeing at work. Maintaining a work-life balance, is incredibly important and is used to combat stress and the pressures of work. In addition to upholding a balance between work and your personal life, it is just as important to de-stress at home as it is at work.

There is no right or wrong way to manage stress. Ways of coping with stress is all down to the individual. At Active, some directors and employees have shared their ways on how they manage stress after a long day or week at work:

Adrian – “To relieve stress I like gardening, walking the dog, or playing a musical instrument."

Lynda – “I spend my time watching television with a refreshing glass of wine."

Julie – “For me, I like treat myself to spa sessions."

Tony – “I spend time with my loved ones such as my daughter and wife."

Stéphane – “I tend to play basketball or go to the gym. I also like spending time with my family."

As you can see, there are many ways members of the Active team spend their time unwinding. Something that works for one person, might not work for someone else. Find something you enjoy doing and take the time to unwind and de-stress.