Question 1

Free wellbeing apps

Accepted Answer

|| **NHS staff have been given free access to a number of wellbeing apps to support with their mental health and wellbeing.
Click each link below for more information, including how to access support and when this free offer expires.

Bright Sky is a free to download mobile app providing support and information for anyone who may be in an abusive relationship or those concerned about someone they know.

The app is also available to use in Polish, Punjabi and Urdu.

How to access Bright Sky:

See details and advice about using the app in your app store:

Bright Sky in Apple Store Bright Sky in Google Play

City Parents has offered their online programme of support and resources to NHS employees without charge until 30 June 2021 if they use their work email address to register.

The programme gives practical support for working parents, delivered through expert-led webinars/seminars, advice, peer insights, online articles, blogs and podcasts. Their aim is to help working parents and those with caring responsibilities develop skills, enhance family life, improve wellbeing and support work / life balance.

How to access Ci

Question 2

Coping with stress

Accepted Answer

It’s completely normal to feel stressed or burned out, it’s important to recognise these signs or feelings and how to overcome them. Source: www.stress.org.uk

What is stress?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your to-do list seems endless, deadlines are fast approaching and you find yourself saying ‘Eek! I feel stressed!’? But what is stress really, and how does it affect us?

Stress is primarily a physical response. When stressed, the body thinks it is under attack and switches to ‘fight or flight’ mode, releasing a complex mix of hormones and chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine to prepare the body for physical action. This causes a number of reactions, from blood being diverted to muscles to shutting down unnecessary bodily functions such as digestion.

Fight

When your body goes into a state of stress, we may feel agitated and aggressive towards others; this can be due to our bodies’ natural reaction being “fight”. This can be a helpful reaction to ward off predators, but in unnecessary situations, it can negatively affect relationships and ruin reputations.

Flight

Some of us avoid our stressors, removing ourselves from the situation instead of tackling it. This can be a sign of the “flight” survival instinct; a function that can save our lives if we find ourselves in dangerous surroundings. However, in everyday life, this natural instinct can lead to a stressful situation escalating, a

Question 3

Free webinars

Accepted Answer

Take a look at the range of recorded webinars you can watch (organised by topic alphabetically)

Anxiety

Managing anxiety by Thrive Ldn - click here to watch
Managing anxiety in uncertain times by Recovery and Wellbeing College - click here to watch ${color}[#d2149f](For more resources on feeling anxious, visit this page)

BAME wellbeing

BAME Wellbeing with David Truswell by Thrive Ldn - click here to watch ${color}[#d2149f](For more BAME wellbeing resources, visit this page)

Bereavement and loss awareness

Wellbeing in a time of loss and bereavement - click here to watch Upcoming:

Webinars for workers supporting those experiencing bereavement - book your place here ${color}[#d2149f](For more resources on bereavement and loss awareness, visit this page)

Financial anxiety

Managing financial anxiety by Thrive Ldn - click here to watch

Low mood and burnout

Managing

Question 4

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)

Accepted Answer

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is the feeling of being anxious about almost everything and anything. Often, people affected by GAD will feel overly worried about a wide range of things relating to a variety of topics including health, money, work, school and relationships and sometimes may not even be able to identify a reason that they feel anxious.

GAD can cause a change in your behaviour and the way you think and feel about things, resulting in symptoms such as:

restlessness
a sense of dread
feeling constantly "on edge"
difficulty concentrating
irritability

Your symptoms may cause you to withdraw from social contact to avoid feelings of worry and dread. You may also find going to work difficult and stressful, and may take time off sick. These actions can make you worry even more about yourself and reduce your self-esteem.

You may also experience a range of physical symptoms including:

dizziness
tiredness
a noticeably strong, fast or irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
muscle aches and tension
trembling or shaking
dry mouth
excessive sweating
shortness of breath
stomach ache
feeling sick
headache
pins and needles
insomnia

Watch this short video that explains the causes, symptoms and treatment

${youtube}What is GAD?

Leaflets and guidebooks

** Anxiety - Easy read information** In this leaflet from the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear

Question 5

Needle phobia

Accepted Answer

Needle phobia also called belonephobia, aichmophobia, or trypanophobia is very common, affecting at least one in 10 people.

It may be stopping you from having an important vaccination or a blood test. It is nothing to be ashamed of and simple exercises with practice can help to overcome it quickly.

Overcoming your fear of needles

Many people have this fear, but it can be overcome with simple exercises and practice. For some people, it is linked to fainting, or feeling faint. When their fear is triggered (for example, by seeing blood or thinking about an injection), their heart rate and blood pressure increase (as with other kinds of fears), but then rapidly drop. It is this fall in blood pressure that can cause fainting. Many people do not confront their fear because they are worried they may embarrass or hurt themselves through fainting.

Other people do not feel faint or actually faint, but do feel panicky when their fear is triggered.

What can I do to overcome my fears?

First of all, do tell the person who is co-ordinating your care, or the person who is giving you your injection or blood test, about your worries. They may be able to answer any specific questions you have. They may also be able to help you cope with the procedure, for example, by chatting to distract you. Also, think about whether there been has anything which has helped you to cope with needles in the past. Can you use something like this to help you again?

If your fear is linked to fainti

Question 6

Depression

Accepted Answer

What is depression?

Depression is more than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days. Most people go through periods of feeling down, but when you're depressed you feel persistently sad for weeks or months, rather than just a few days.

Some people think depression is trivial and not a genuine health condition. They're wrong – it is a real illness with real symptoms. Depression is not a sign of weakness or something you can "snap out of" by "pulling yourself together".

What does it feel like?

They range from lasting feelings of unhappiness and hopelessness, to losing interest in the things you used to enjoy and feeling very tearful. Many people with depression also have symptoms of anxiety.

There can be physical symptoms too, such as feeling constantly tired, sleeping badly, having no appetite or sex drive, and various aches and pains.

The symptoms of depression range from mild to severe. At its mildest, you may simply feel persistently low in spirit, while severe depression can make you feel suicidal, that life is no longer worth living.

Most people experience feelings of stress, anxiety or low mood during difficult times. A low mood may improve after a short period of time, rather than being a sign of depression.

${color}[#d2149f](If you are experiencing some of these feelings above, you can complete a self-assessment on this page)

Can I overcome depression?

Treatm

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