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Power of Connection

Humans have a fundamental need to interact with others, to be socially active and to feel connected. Widespread research that shows evidence of the value social connectedness has on mental health. Being connected to others can be a protective factor against anxiety and depression, and can increase your feelings of happiness and self-worth. Despite this, many in our population are experiencing a deficit of social connection. Social connection doesn’t mean physically being present, it’s someone’s subjective experience of feeling understood and connected to others. It includes a sense of belonging, feeling cared for, and gives purpose. It’s not about the number of friends you have, the number of groups you are a part of, or how much time you spend socialising. The benefits of social connection come from your internal and subjective sense of connection.

Benefits of Connection

Social connection improves your physical, mental and emotional health. Studies have shown proven links between strong social connectedness and a strengthened immune system and longer lifespan. Mental health benefits include lower rates of anxiety and depression, higher self-esteem, improved confidence and reduced levels of stress. Because of strong social connection, people experience greater empathy, and are more open to trusting and cooperating with others thereby strengthening relationships.
Feeling connected to others can have a significant positive impact on our mental health and wellbeing. However, the level of social connection we desire varies from one person to the next. For many of us, having a busy life can make spending time with people difficult. One way to strengthen your social connectedness is to reach out to the people you already know, who are already a part of your communities. Strong social connections with family and friends provide opportunities for us to share positive experiences, receive emotional support and support others.

How to increase your social connections?

There are many ways an internal sense of connection can be built, strengthened and nurtured. Below are some strategies to enhance your social connectedness: Call instead of texting: phone calls create stronger bonds than text-based communication. Research has shown that people feel significantly more connected when they communicated by talking rather than typing. Schedule regular video chat calls with friends and family: maintaining regular contact with friends or family is imperative for reducing feelings of social isolation and improving connection. Schedule a regular call at a particular time or day. Use video calling platforms to improve your interaction with face-to-face communication.

Minimise internal disruptions ​

Internal disruptions that create poor sleep are caused by your mind (mental) or your body (physical). Mental disruptions can be due to your mind being too active to fall asleep. Avoiding taking your worries to bed can be achieved through practicing good strategies such as jotting down your worries and options for managing these; mindfulness strategies; journaling or other emotional regulation techniques before bedtime. Physical disruptions can include breathing problems (such as snoring or sleep apnoea), physical problems interfering with sleep (pain, restless legs) or stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine or alcohol. If you think you have some breathing or physical problems speak to your GP about a referral to a sleep specialist. Further information on the impact of caffeine, nicotine or alcohol on sleep can be found on the Sleep Health Foundation Website.

Make time to spend with family (or close friends you call family): being physically present with loved ones creates a strong bond, with these close loved ones bringing the strongest benefits of connection. Gather to create fun and meaningful memories through connection. Play a board game, enjoy a meal together, share stories and create positive experiences. Reach out to a neighbour: creating positive and meaningful social connections with people outside of your normal groups or relationships can increase your sense of belonging, bring happiness and a sense of purpose. This connection can be achieved through a smile, a short chat, kind gestures (such as bringing their bin in) or hosting a neighbourhood event. Catch up with old friends: in the age of social media, it’s easy to feel like we are connected despite it being months or potentially years since you have communicated with friends. Reconnecting with old friends after you’ve lost touch can be tricky but an incredibly rewarding social connection. When reconnecting with old friends start simple such as a phone call, a coffee catchup, or a meeting with more than one. Put your phone away: to enhance the power of connection, put your phone away when engaging in social interactions with those in your community. Social connection is a sense of belonging and feeling cared for. Being distracted by your phone can lead to you missing out on the chances to boost your sense of social connectedness. Volunteer at a local community group: not everyone is as connected as they would like to be with friends or family. Connecting with our community through volunteering your time and effort can bring more purpose in life and improve physical and psychological health. Connect with your colleagues: work is a community we are a part of that gives us a sense of connectedness. For many, we spend more waking hours at work, than with any other significant relationship. Enhancing your social connection with colleagues could include keeping up with their interests, showing value in them as a person, offering your full attention, create a social spot (such as a break room or a nearby park) or sharing a meal.

Final Words

In a climate where social distancing is enforced, remote working is increasing and lockdowns continue, human connection is more important than ever. The benefits of social connectedness shouldn’t be overlooked when improving our mental health and wellbeing.
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If you or someone close to you needs support, contact Acacia EAP for an appointment.

P: 1300 364 273 (24/7) | SMS or Live Chat: 0401 337 711 | W: acaciaconnection.com

March Tip Sheet: Sleep Health

Introduction

Getting a good-quality and quantity of sleep is vital to achieving and maintaining optimal mental and physical health. Despite this, as many as 40% of Australian adults experience sleep problems at any one time (www.workalert.org.au). Not getting enough sleep can impact many aspects of our life, in particular productivity and safety in the workplace.

It is well known that sleep is strongly impacted by stress and can lead to the common sleep disorder, insomnia. Insomnia is the persistent difficulty with falling asleep and staying asleep, with 1 in 3 people experiencing mild insomnia at some time (Sleep Health Foundation). Stress, worry or irritability experienced at work can lead to sleep disturbance. Over time, persistent sleep disturbance can make concentration and productivity at work even more difficult, leading to further stress.

Health Professionals around the world regularly share sleep hygiene strategies. These include habits and practices that are conductive to sleeping well on a regular basis such as monitoring caffeine intake, good temperature control, avoiding alcohol intake, improved level of darkness in the bedroom and other great tips to achieve a good night’s sleep. These strategies are good to know, however they often don’t always address the problem experienced by many. Trying to implement all of these ‘do this’ and ‘don’t do this’ strategies can also incidentally ramp up your hyperarousal at bedtime.

Good sleep health can be achieved through understanding the many things that can affect the quality of sleep and taking a problem-solving approach to changes you implement. The five key factors or principles to improve sleep considered by the Sleep Health Foundation are:

Look after you body rhythm and natural body clock

Good sleep is more likely when your body rhythm is consistent. Melatonin is a hormone your body produces naturally and is often called the “sleep hormone”. Melatonin needs darkness to be secreted, with levels starting to rise during the early evening. Ensuring you have a one-hour buffer from exposure to bright light at least one hour before bed can assist your body’s production of melatonin, preparing your body for sleep. Good sleep is also more likely when your internal body clock or rhythm is in line with daytime hours for your wake cycle. Exposure to good outdoor light, especially morning light to suppress the melatonin production on waking, as well as increased activity and exercise during the day can help you to look after your body rhythm.

Minimise internal disruptions

Internal disruptions that create poor sleep are caused by your mind (mental) or your body (physical). Mental disruptions can be due to your mind being too active to fall asleep. Avoiding taking your worries to bed can be achieved through practicing good strategies such as jotting down your worries and options for managing these; mindfulness strategies; journaling or other emotional regulation techniques before bedtime. Physical disruptions can include breathing problems (such as snoring or sleep apnoea), physical problems interfering with sleep (pain, restless legs) or stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine or alcohol. If you think you have some breathing or physical problems speak to your GP about a referral to a sleep specialist. Further information on the impact of caffeine, nicotine or alcohol on sleep can be found on the Sleep Health Foundation Website.

Minimising external disruptions

Removing external disruptions can be especially helpful if you are a light sleeper or have trouble returning to sleep after being awoken. External disturbances can be caused by pets in the bedroom, morning light too early, poor temperature control (too hot/cold) or partner noises such as snoring. Simple strategies such as ear plugs or eye covers, as well as changes to your bedroom space could be considered to minimise external disruptions.

A positive and respectful attitude towards sleep

This principle is not just for those who tend to stay up late, spend too much time watching Netflix or have poor sleep habits, but those who have already labeled themselves as poor sleepers. Having good knowledge and understanding of a normal sleep cycle, which includes periods of lighter and deeper sleep throughout the night with brief awakenings, can ensure people have a positive relationship with sleep. Accepting that for some people it may take many months of implementing positive changes to their sleep habits before consistent good quality sleep is achieved can avoid you failing into the trap of labelling yourself a poor sleeper and giving in.

Final Words

Research shows that most adults need about 8 hours of sleep per night. Sleep helps promote attention, memory and learning which improves our alertness, mental functioning and productivity both in the workplace and at home. Understanding the key aspects and principles of sleep, as well as maintaining good sleep hygiene is key to achieve good-quality restorative sleep.
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February Tip Sheet: Mind and Money

Introduction

Mental health and financial health are closely linked. Being in a difficult financial position can have a negative impact on your mental health, and mental health concerns can be exacerbated by poor financial wellbeing.

The UK’s Money and Mental Health Policy institute are leading the way in research into the link between money and mental health, finding that nearly half (46%) of those people in financial debt also have a mental health problem and 86% of those experiencing mental health problems reported their financial situation contributed negatively to their mental health.

Financial stress is not just the inability to meet financial commitments, overwhelming debt or a lack of money. For some financial stress can result
from a lack of confidence when managing money, one overdue bill or anxiety around future financial safety.

The Financial Health Institute defines Financial stress as “a condition that is the result of financial and/or economic events that creates anxiety,
worry, or a sense of scarcity, and is accompanied by a physiological stress response”. Whether you are worried about your retirement, debts, or your children’s future, financial stress is a particularly complex and destructive form of stress that can significantly reduce levels of mental health and wellbeing.

Key indicators of financial stress

Financial stress can have a significant and adverse effect on a person’s mental health and wellbeing, such as:

  • Persistent thoughts or worries about finances
  • Low motivation, low energy and hopelessness
  • Feelings of loss, anger, confusion and sorrow
  • Erratic sleep patterns or difficulty sleeping
  • Difficulty concentrating or focusing
  • Substance dependency e.g. alcohol abuse
  • Physical symptoms including muscle tension, headaches, nausea, aches and pains

Strategies to improve your financial wellbeing and mental health

  • Identify when you feel more stressed about money so that you can plan ways to manage this financial stress during these times. This process can help you acknowledge the link between your financial wellbeing and mental health. Do you feel stressed around pay day, end of month or each quarter, tax time, or Christmas?
  • Recognize how you manage financial stress. Do you want to bury your head in the sand the moment money is mentioned? Or maybe you try to watch every cent when you’re stressed about money which leaves you feeling suffocated and trapped? Recognising how you currently deal with financial stress is a crucial step as you can identify what strategies are helpful or not.
  • Assess your financial situation and set a plan. Take time to assess your current financial situation and establish priorities to get in control. Create a financial plan with clear financial goals. Finding ways to reduce your expenses such as contacting your insurance providers to find better deals. Getting on top of your debt by contacting your bank or credit card provider to set up an affordable payment plan. Remember to review this plan regularly to assess what is working.
  • Make one financial decision at a time. Managing financial stress and overcoming challenges can take some time. For some the sheer nature or severity of financial challenges can in itself be overwhelming. Research has found that spacing out financial decisions improves individual’s willpower and reduces associated levels of financial stress

Once you notice your stress responses linked to your financial wellbeing, it is important to find effective ways to manage your financial stress

Reaching out to a friend

For some talking about mental health with loved ones can be a challenging and confronting conversation. The same applies when talking about financial wellbeing, particularly when you are struggling. However, speaking in an open manner to a safe and trusted friend can serve to start the process and acknowledge the link between mind and money. As a natural consequence, things may start to seem less intimidating than they did before.

Seeking professional counselling support

Financial stress and Mental Health concerns have a cause and effect relationship. Speaking with a professional may assist in further developing your tool kit to cope with financial distress such as developing ways to challenge unhelpful thinking patterns, overcome avoidant behaviour and improve emotion regulation when addressing your financial matters.

Seek professional financial support

Getting practical advice from an expert is always a good idea. Whatever your circumstances gaining helpful information, strategies and advice to better improve your financial wellbeing can assist in reducing your financial stress and ensure you are tracking forward with your financial concerns

Manage your overall stress

Make time for yourself each day, step away from the constant worry by engaging in activities that bring you pleasure and increase your relaxation, such as exercising, going for a walk, journaling, meditating, practicing mindfulness and deep breathing. Ensure you practice good sleep health to provide your mind the best opportunity to reset during your sleep hours and improve concentration, focus and resilience for the following day.

Final Words

Understanding the link between mind and money, and actively seeking help early with financial difficulties can help alleviate further distress for those who are already vulnerable or struggling with mental health concerns.
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Conversations with Children and Young People about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak

Introduction

News of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is everywhere, including in our schools and playgrounds. Our children and young people may worry more when kept in the dark or rely on sources of information from their peers and social media which may not be accurate.

It is important to support our children and young people during this time, including reassuring them with open and honest communication appropriate to their age and temperament.

How they may respond

Not all children and young people response to stress in the same way. Some common changes to watch out for include:

  • Increased levels of frustration or irritability
  • Young children may return to behaviour they had previously outgrown such as thumb sucking, bet wetting or tantrums
  • Some younger children may feel more attached and want to avoid separation from their parents / caregivers
  • Expressions of fear, worry or anger
  • Changes in sleep patterns
  • Difficulty concentrating or maintaining focus
  • Excessive crying
  • Acting out
  • Avoiding school
  • Unexpected headaches

How to support a child

Parents and caregivers should discuss the news in an open and honest way. Take the time to speak with your children. Listen to any questions they may have and respond to these with accurate information appropriate to their age and temperament.

Some children may express fear or worry about contracting the virus, or fear of their loved ones becoming unwell. Let them know they are safe and it’s normal to feel concerned.

Limit exposure to the news, including via social media. Continue to check in on your children to assess their access to new information and correct this if required.

Support the child or young person to find a positive way to express their emotions, using art, music or activities. Children can feel relieved in they can express distressing or challenging feelings in a safe environment.

Children and young people may react in a similar way to those around them, including copying the responses of their parents. Remaining calm and confident can assist to role model responses to them.

Teach your child or young person hand and respiratory hygiene and foster this behaviour in the home environment.

Where possible maintain family routines and structure including activities the child or young person enjoys.

Support is Available

Common reactions to distress in children will fade without the need for professional support. However, if your child is prone to excessive worry or anxiety, Acacia EAP can assist. Reach out so we can link you in with a clinician experienced in supporting children or young people.

Acacia EAP offers support 24/7/365 1300 364 273

Mental Health and Working-from-home

Introduction

Spending an increased amount at home with limited social contact can take a toll on our mental health. Working from home also takes away routine and structure that might be present in the workplace, such as a walk outside during lunch breaks. Extended periods at home can cause feelings of boredom and loneliness.

Some staff may be familiar with working from home, or potentially already have a work from home arrangement in place. For those working from home for the first time, they may find the isolation and change in office environment difficult to handle.

Plan ahead

We recommend workplaces put in place a plan with their staff prior to entering a potential lengthy period of a work from home arrangement. This could include:

  • Ensuring each staff member knows who to contact should they require psychological support (such as Acacia EAP or HR/Wellbeing teams).
  • Prepare for the social isolation by increasing buzz or scrum meetings throughout the week, using a video conferencing platform if possible.
  • Encourage staff to create a new daily routine such as regular breaks, time spent outside and maintaining regular working hours.
  • Stay virtually connected

Designate a work from home area

You might not have the luxury of a study area so may use the dining table or common living areas. Set it up so it works for you. At the end of the day, pack away your workspace. This is a process which will assist you to shut off and wind down, as well as reduce any temptations to work at times outside of your scheduled work hours.

Prepare for work

Dress in office appropriate attire. Avoiding working from home in your pajamas or tracksuit may impact on your focus, energy and mental preparation for a day of work. Consider wearing your “casual Friday” attire.

Take frequent breaks

Go outside, walk around, stretch. Without the incidental breaks or walking around in the office (such as going to speak with a colleague, collecting printing etc) working from home has the potential to see us sitting at our computers for longer periods of time.

Stay connected with your manager and team

Let your manager and team know when you are taking a quick break or stepping away from your computer. Keep connected as a team to allocate tasks and have a shared understanding of what everyone is working on. Being outside of the structure of a natural office rhythms can lead to people jumping around from one task to another.

Make yourself accountable to avoid distraction

It’s often easy to find things to do at home, such as putting on a load of washing or preparing dinner. A little distraction can cause disruption to your day. Ensure you prepare your day in the same way you would when attending work at the office. Use coffee breaks or lunch breaks to do any non-work-related activities.

Support is Available

If you have teams or individuals who are struggling with heightened anxiety, loneliness or other mental health concerns whilst working from home, reach out so we can provide guidance and support

Acacia EAP offers support 24/7/365 1300 364 273

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Financial stress – How to Help Employees

It’s not surprising to most EAP workers that out of the five most prevalent health concerns in any workplace, around 80% is related to mental health. Of those, many are related to financial stressors, with over 30% saying they have taken time off work because of – or to sort out – financial issues and over 40% saying they are distracted at work due to financial stress. 

Many of us are resilient to most of the stressors we experience during day-to-day life, but financial difficulty is one of those things that not only causes high stress, but can also affect us in other more tangible ways. For instance, some employees may take a sick day off work simply because they can’t afford the cost of fuel to attend their workplace, while others may suffer loss of mental clarity at the end of each shift because they couldn’t afford to eat lunch. 

So, what can employers do to help their employees cope with financial stress and build resilience? Firstly, it is vital that in order to help your employees, you need to use empathy to understand what they are going through and recognising what impact it is having. Your employee might be a member of the ageing population and dealing with stress related to retirement funds. They may be millennials facing crushing mortgage or rental costs, student debt (which is now interest-gathering under the Liberal govt) or the low national wages becoming stagnant. Having a caring person who understands them can often be a huge help to somebody dealing with financial stress.

Below, we’ve outlined a number of tips you as an employer can give to your employees to help them regain control of their finances and reduce stress:

Create a Budget

The first thing anyone with financial difficulties should do is create an honest budget. You simply can’t tackle a problem without knowing what the problem is and a budget is the way to do it. List all income and expenditure and for a running budget, continue to add any income and expenses to this. It may seem like a waste of time, but don’t forget to add all the little purchases, like coffees, gum, parking metre payments, bank ATM/Eftpos fees etc. as these all add up to a surprisingly substantial amount.

Start Paying Off Debt

You may think ‘well duh!’, but many people with large sums of debt hide from it, rather than tackle it. Don’t be fooled into taking on Part 9 Agreements (unless you have absolutely no other choice between that or bankruptcy) or high interest consolidation loans and instead, contact each creditor and negotiate to pay off the absolute smallest amount you can get away with, even if it’s only $10 per week. 

Let creditors know you are under heavy financial difficulties so they can put you on any hardship plans they may have. Most creditors are happy you are willing to pay, even if it’s not much. When your circumstances change for the better, you’ll be able to pay more. This will minimise the chances of you ruining your credit rating and look more positive if you ever do need to apply for finance in the future, whereas ignoring debt will cripple your ability to apply for credit in the future.

Change Providers or get rid of excess services

Review all the companies you’re paying money or fees to – not just once, but regularly. You might be surprised how many non-essential services you don’t actually want anymore, such as streaming TV services, gym memberships and similar. It’s also important to review your essential services – such as power providers, telecommunications providers and banking products – regularly or as your life circumstances change. You will find that you might be better off switching to a different plan or provider, or negotiating better deals with your current provider.

Save – even if it’s only a tiny amount

Similar to paying off debt, you should force yourself to save, even if it’s only $5 a week. Don’t touch these savings unless you truly need to, such as during an emergency. If you want money for a holiday or other non-emergency, create a separate savings pool. 

It’s a good idea to set up an automatic debit, where your bank debits a specific amount into a savings account each payday. That way, you won’t even notice it. There are also savings accounts you can get where you have to go through a bit of effort to withdraw the funds. This can be very effective for impulse buyers, so ask your bank if you aren’t a good saver.
By taking the above simple steps, employees are being proactive about gaining control of their finances.

This alone can significantly reduce stress. They may not see results immediately, but eventually they will – they will also gain a sense of empowerment and learn how to better-control their financial future. Financial coaching is also a great idea and here at Acacia, we can help your employees to gain control of their finances. Call us on 1300 364 273 or click here to contact us and we’ll show you how.