Running a business is hard work, and when you or your staff are struggling mentally, it can be even harder. In this blog I am going to run through some of the common issues experienced at work, how counselling can help and the different ways of accessing it.
Anxiety
Life is fast, pressures mount, life still carries on with its own agenda and we are left juggling the many balls of expectation (of others and our own). Anxiety is a common problem now, and it hinders the workplace with increased sickness or inability to complete tasks. Time is spent coaching and adapting roles to help people manage their jobs and remain employed, while the business continues to have needs and needing them to be met.
What if instead of working from the outside in, we worked from the inside out. Helping people access counselling to understand themselves, and why they react the way they do and create pathways to help them be who they truly are and want to be. Having a space to talk freely, along with learning a range of techniques, so they can build a toolkit to handle most situations, this in turn builds confidence and adds to their performance and your business.
Imposter syndrome
This is far more common than you think. 'What if I can't do this?' 'What if they figure out I have no idea what I'm doing?' 'I cant interview someone, I've never done that before!' 'I charge too much for what I do, maybe I should be cheaper.' 'I cant do disciplinaries, I cant handle conflict, they'll see straight through me!'
These are all the type of things I have heard said by staff, managers, project leaders, directors or business owners. No one is immune.
Counselling provides a safe, confidential space, to admit true feelings, with no judgement. It helps develop understanding of why people feel like that and where those voices come from that undermine beliefs and confidence. It helps arm individuals with knowledge and skills to catch those thoughts and rewrite the mental script.
Lack of confidence
This stops us from doing so much. What if we fail? What if we succeed?! Both issues are as scary as each other at times. We weren't born without confidence, but somewhere along the timeline of life, we learned from someone, somewhere that we aren't good enough, or that we don't belong in the limelight, that is someone else's job, to take the responsibility, because we are too afraid that we will fail. And if we were to succeed how would we maintain that?
Staying hidden in the shadows, and being a sheep not a shepherd, is far safer and more comfortable. The only problem is, that's not who you are supposed to be., No one else is like you, no one else does things, see's things, or creates things like you would if you let yourself.
Lack of confidence at work, creates more mistakes, additional time spent writing emails (in case they are spelled wrong or you fear someone will be offended by something you've said). I cant tell you just how many clients I have had with issues pressing send on an email. Hours and hours of work time are spent on this task, and this not only makes for a stressed employee, but also costs in hours, and these are often the employees own personal hours, as they also fear letting the boss down.
Counselling helps to understand when confidence was lost, look at what it might feel like to believe the inherent ability, (and to be able to press send in a quarter of the time than normal). It helps people find a voice, to believe that they have value, and this makes for better communication, better productivity and better camaraderie at work.
Depression
I could write reams about this I'm sure, but I wont for the sake of time, and the brevity of this blog.
Depression.
It repeats, it pops back up again and again. Time is taken off because the person struggling with depression just cant function. They are dead inside and their brain ceases to work. Making a cup of tea can be a difficult task, when in the throws of depression.
If someone is able to work while suffering from depression, their communication skills may not be what they could be, mistakes can increase as lethargy affects concentration and productivity.
Counselling gives a space for depression. It see's it, holds it, and when the person talks about how they feel, they are heard, truly heard.
Depression pops back up again and again because it needs something, something only the person with depression can give it. Counselling's aim is to help them find out what it is, and how to give it to themselves, so they can heal.
Anger
If you've never had an angry outburst at work, I'm sure you've seen one or heard about one. Anger is such an interesting emotion. Because its not actually about the anger, it's about the pain underneath the anger, that's just coming out in a different way, and, the person who is angry either struggles to regulate their emotions, and so it just bursts out, or they are desperate to express how they feel and are unsure how to do that.
Anger usually represents hurt, and, as we spend most of our time at work, there's a higher chance of it being expressed there. This can cause all kinds of problems, from conflict management with staff, to damage to work property or worst case... someone gets hurt.
Counselling provides ways to for people to understand their anger, why it's there and what it's really about. We discuss ways of expressing the anger safely, constructively, not destructively. As with depression, anger is surfacing because it has something to say and it's so big, it just cant stay inside anymore, and therefore bursts out. Counselling can help diffuse that, helping bring relief and control back to the workplace and the individual concerned.
Stress
Stress is one of the biggest issues at work. Targets, expectations, KPI's and regular needs for updating policies, processes and CPD, it all adds up and people can't cope.
This can span across the whole workforce and it shows in different ways for different people. Some may have skin issues like eczema or psoriasis that flare, migraines increase or existing health issues can be exacerbated. Impatience or low tolerance are also signs of stress.
When people have a safe space to talk these stressful feelings through, it can help not only separate the issue from work, but also allow them to feel better and work more productively as less mental chaos is happening in their minds. Decisions can be made more easily and communication improves. Relief can be felt by all, especially the person who is stressed.
How to access counselling for you or your employees.
Well, there are a number of ways, here are a few...
Your HR department can gather information about all the free services available, though GP's and charities and signpost members of staff.
Research possible Employee Assisted Programs, EAP's provide packages for staff members to access a limited amount of sessions of counselling, along with other services like law advice or doctors advice.
Form a partnership with a local qualified counsellor or two, so you can self refer, or confidentially refer staff onto them. Either the client would fund the therapy themselves or they could be assisted by their employer for a limited amount of sessions if need be. Agreements can be made about time off work if needed and how this would be managed. Appointments can be invoiced. Costs vary, but usually are between £40-£50 a session.
Invite a local counsellor to deliver one off workshops or training days on mental health, anxiety , stress or on specific issues you or your staff would like to see and learn more about.
Mental health costs businesses money, so making that investment in yourself or your staff, is good business sense.
If you would like to discuss any of the content of this blog, or services we could provide through Tree of Life Counselling, please contact Amy Bambury on 07780804108 or email her on tlc.counselling@icloud.com
Until next time
Amy B :)
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