Build Up Your Resilience!

Life can be very stressful these days! Try out our 10 tips for building up your emotional resilience to help you to cope with life’s ups and downs.

1 Talk to someone

Communication is important, whether it’s with a friend, family member or counsellor. Communication enables you to release tension rather than keep it inside. If you’re talking about your innermost feelings, be careful who you talk to. Make sure that it’s someone who has your best interest at heart.

Talking about your feelings doesn’t have to be formal or too serious. You can discuss small things that annoy you or make you sad. You might end up laughing about a previous difficult experience. It helps you to strengthen your relationships and connect with people.

2 Improve your self-esteem

Self-esteem is the way you feel about yourself. Lots of things can lower your self-esteem, such as a relationship break-up, not getting the job you wanted or putting on weight. None of these things makes us worth less, but it can feel that way.

If your self-esteem is low, it’s important to learn how to improve it. The best way to improve your self-esteem is to treat yourself as you would treat a valued friend, i.e. in a positive but honest way. Notice when you’re putting yourself down, such as ‘You’re so stupid for not getting that job’ and think ‘Would I say that to my best friend?’ You probably wouldn’t.

Tell yourself something positive instead, such as ‘You’re a bright person, you’ll get the next job'.

3 Manage your stress levels

Being in a stressed state of mind a lot of the time can make it easier for you to overreact or feel negative compared to someone who is relaxed.

Managing your stress can be a gradual process. Look at your lifestyle. If you have a lot of stress in your life, find ways to reduce it, such as asking your partner to help with chores in the house, taking a relaxing yoga class, or talking to your manager about flexibility with your working hours. Introduce regular exercise and time to yourself. These are positive changes. Taking control of your time in this way can effectively reduce stress.

If you have any concerns regarding work, speak to your manager or HR Manager in the first instance, or if you don’t feel able to speak to them, contact Occupational Health for a self-referral appointment.

If you have anxiety with stress, breathing exercises can help. See advice regarding relaxation at the end of this blog.

4 Enjoy yourself

Doing things that you enjoy is good for your emotional health. Watching sports with a friend, having a soak in the bath, or meeting up with friends for coffee are examples of small activities that can improve your day.

Doing something you’re good at, such as cooking or dancing, is a good way to enjoy yourself and have a sense of achievement. If you’re feeling low, tell yourself how good you are at the activity. It really gives you a lift.

Avoid things that seem enjoyable at the time but make you feel worse afterwards, such as alcohol, or clothes shopping if you’re on a tight budget.

5 Limit your alcohol intake

You don’t have to give up alcohol completely to be emotionally resilient, but avoid drinking more than the recommended limit. If you're a man, don't regularly drink more than three to four units a day (maximum 21 units per week). If you're a woman, don't regularly drink more than two to three units a day (maximum 14 units per week).

When times are hard, it’s tempting to drink alcohol because it ‘numbs’ painful feelings. However, it can exaggerate some feelings and make you feel angry or aggressive. It can also make you depressed.

If you think that your drinking might be becoming a problem, contact Occupational Health or your GP for advice.

 6 Choose a well-balanced diet

Making healthy choices about your diet can make you feel emotionally stronger. You’re doing something positive for yourself, which lifts your self-esteem, and a good diet enables your brain and body to work efficiently. Aim for a balanced diet that includes the main food groups.

7 Do exercise

Exercise is a great way to relax. Research shows that physical activity can help to reduce stress by improving your overall mood.

Physical activity can boost your mental wellbeing and improve your outlook on life. It can help people with anxiety and depression, and might prevent such problems from developing in the first place. People who are physically active tend to feel better about themselves and being active can lead to motivation to take on other beneficial changes such as stopping smoking or eating better.

For some people, exercise may be walking more briskly with the kids to and from school, or cycling to and from work.

For others, a more structured activity such as a dance class or a gym session a few times a week may be a practical way of keeping fit and making activity part of your daily routine.

Even a small amount of exercise is beneficial. The recommended 30 minutes of moderate activity at least five times a week can be done in 10- to 15-minute blocks.

8 Get enough sleep

Around seven to eight hours is the average amount of sleep an adult needs for their body and mind to fully rest. But this can vary. Some people need less and some need more before they feel ready for the day.

Whatever the case, make sure that you make sleep a priority. Some people find this very hard at certain times in their lives, for example, new parents and those working shifts. Ask your partner or a family member to help you so that you can catch up on sleep.

9 Develop good relationships

Our relationships are part of who we are and how we feel.

Think about your relationships with family, friends, your partner. Do they have your best interests at heart? Do you enjoy their company? Are you happy with the way you act towards them? Start to think about how you can improve your relationships, and then make little changes."

10 Know the warning signs

Try to recognise when negative emotions start creeping in, whether it’s stress, anxiety or feeling sad.

When you know the warning signs you can do the things that you know will help. For example, a good chat with a close friend or some relaxing breathing exercises.

Be aware of what your body’s telling you but don’t let it take over. If you’re having a really bad day, do what makes you feel better, such as staying in bed a while longer than usual. Enjoy it but don’t let it carry on too long. Get back out there and get on with your normal life.

Relaxation tips for stress

Relaxation can help to relieve the symptoms of stress. It can help you calm down and take a step back from a stressful situation.

Although the cause of the anxiety won’t disappear, you will probably feel more able to deal with it once you've released the tension in your body and cleared your thoughts.

Don't worry if you find it difficult to relax at first. It's a skill that needs to be learned and it will come with practice.

Relaxed breathing

Practice deep breathing at a regular time and in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Loosen or remove any tight clothes, such as shoes or jackets. Be completely comfortable.

Sit in a comfy chair which supports your head or lie on the floor or bed. Place your arms on the chair arms, or flat on the floor or bed, a little bit away from the side of your body with the palms up. If you’re lying down, stretch out your legs, keeping them hip-width apart or slightly wider. If you’re sitting in a chair, don’t cross your legs.

Good relaxation always starts with focusing on your breathing. The way to do it is to breathe in and out slowly and in a regular rhythm as this will help you to calm down.

·   Fill up the whole of your lungs with air, without forcing. Imagine you're filling up a bottle, so that your lungs fill from the bottom. 

·   Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. 

·   Breathe in slowly and regularly counting from one to five (don’t worry if you can’t reach five at first). 

·   Then let the breath escape slowly, counting from one to five. 

·   Keep doing this until you feel calm. Breathe without pausing or holding your breath.

Practice this relaxed breathing for three to five minutes, two to three times a day (or whenever you feel the need to calm down).

Deep muscle relaxation

This technique takes around 20 minutes. It stretches different muscles in turn and then relaxes them, to release tension from the body and relax your mind.

Find a warm, quiet place with no distractions. Get completely comfortable, either sitting or lying down. Close your eyes and begin by focusing on your breathing; breathing slowly and deeply, as described above.

If you have pain in certain muscles, or if there are muscles that you find it difficult to focus on, spend more time on relaxing other parts.

You may want to play some soothing music to help relaxation. As with all relaxation techniques, deep muscle relaxation will require a bit of practice before you start feeling its benefits.

For each exercise, hold the stretch for a few seconds, and then relax. Repeat it a couple of times. It’s useful to keep to the same order as you work through the muscle groups:

·   Face: push the eyebrows together, as though frowning, then release. 

·   Neck: gently tilt the head forwards, pushing chin down towards chest, and then slowly lift again. 

·   Shoulders: pull them up towards the ears (shrug), and then relax them down towards the feet. 

·   Chest: breathe slowly and deeply into the diaphragm (below your bottom rib) so that you're using the whole of the lungs. Then breath slowly out, allowing the belly to deflate as all the air is exhaled. 

·   Arms: stretch the arms away from the body, reach, and then relax. 

·   Legs: push the toes away from the body, then pull them towards body, then relax. 

·   Wrists and hands: stretch the wrist by pulling the hand up towards you, and stretch out the fingers and thumbs, then relax.

Spend some time lying quietly after your relaxation with your eyes closed. When you feel ready, stretch and get up slowly. 

Get a good nights sleep

Simple lifestyle changes can make a world of difference to your quality of sleep, and getting a good night's sleep can help you cope better with stress. Try out these tips if stress is keeping you awake:

1. Keep regular hours. Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time every day will programme your body to sleep better. Choose a time when you're most likely to feel sleepy.

2. Create a restful sleeping environment. Your bedroom should be kept for rest and sleep. Keep it as quiet and dark as possible. It should be neither too hot nor too cold. Temperature, lighting and noise should be controlled so that the bedroom environment helps you to fall (and stay) asleep.

3. Make sure that your bed is comfortable. It’s difficult to get restful sleep on a mattress that’s too soft or too hard, or a bed that's too small or old. If you have a pet that sleeps in the room with you, consider moving it somewhere else if it often makes noise in the night.

4. Exercise regularly. Moderate exercise on a regular basis, such as swimming or walking, can help to relieve some of the tension built up over the day. But don't do vigorous exercise too close to bedtime as it may keep you awake.

5. Less caffeine. Cut down on stimulants such as caffeine in tea or coffee, especially in the evening. They interfere with the process of falling asleep, and they prevent deep sleep. The effects of caffeine can last a long time (up to 24 hours) so the chances of it affecting sleep are significant. Have a warm, milky drink or herbal tea instead.

6. Don’t over-indulge. Too much food or alcohol, especially late at night, can interrupt your sleep patterns. Alcohol may help you to fall asleep initially, but it will disrupt your sleep later on in the night.

7. Don’t smoke. It’s bad for sleep. Smokers take longer to fall asleep, they wake up more frequently, and they often have a more disrupted sleep.

8. Try to relax before going to bed. Have a warm bath, listen to quiet music or do some gentle yoga to relax the mind and body. Your doctor may be able to recommend a helpful relaxation CD.

9. Write away your worries. Deal with worries or a heavy workload by making lists of things to be tackled the next day. If you tend to lie in bed thinking about tomorrow's tasks, set aside time before bedtime to review the day and make plans for the next day. The goal is to avoid doing these things when you're in bed, trying to sleep.

10. Don't worry in bed. If you can’t sleep, don’t lie there worrying about it. Get up and do something you find relaxing until you feel sleepy again, then return to bed.

Benefits of Badminton

Physical Fitness: Between the running, lunging, and shuttlecock hitting, playing badminton burns your body fat. An hour game burns about 450 calories, but the time will feel like much less as you’ll be having fun.

Develop skills that are good for other sports: Badminton Improves your speed, reflex, intelligence, and productivity. Its a fast paced game. Since players need to be attentive and powerful all the time, the game increases your speed and improves your reflexes. Intelligence is also a factor since players must know how to deceive their opponents in every shot so they could win the game. Therefore if you play badminton, it will help you develop your agility, strength and intelligence.

Increased Muscle Tone: It’s fantastic for the legs: the quads, glutes, calves and hamstrings. Your core muscles get worked, too. And of course the arm and back muscles on the side you hold your racquet are getting a workout.

Psychological Benefits: Because badminton promotes physical fitness, it helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Exercise increases endorphins, which are the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, and has also been found to improve mood and sleep. Badminton is also likely to put you in a good mood because it’s a social activity.

Social Health: You’ll need at least one opponent, but you can also play with a teammate and two other opponents. The social interactions of a game, combined with feel-good endorphins, will result in positive feelings after a session on the court.

Great for Overall Health: As with all forms of physical exercise, badminton can reduce or eliminate your risk of numerous health problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. It can also reduce your risk for coronary heart disease by reducing your triglyceride levels and increasing your “good” cholesterol.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Introduction

Computers like other work equipment can expose you to risks.  This is often due to the way the computer workstation is set up and used.  The most common risks from using computers are eye fatigue, musculoskeletal discomfort or pain and stress.

The information contained in this document gives you advice on how to set up and use your computer safely and comfortably and is particularly relevant to members of staff who regularly use computers in extended sessions or for more than two hours a day.

It is important to ensure that your workstation is set up correctly. The Health and Safety Unit provide advice via our DSE Assessment Tool and VDU checklist, which is available through the link below:

http://www.uel.ac.uk/hrservices/hs/assessment/

Your workstation should be assessed at the following times:

·         When your workstation changes

·         When you move workstation

·         In the event of any health concerns which may adversely affect your posture or ability to work at a workstation

The Health and Safety Unit are available to offer advice regarding any workstation issues by email (occupationalhealthandsafety@uel.ac.uk) or on ext. 6295 or 2966.

The most important advice would be to ensure that you take regular breaks from the workstation if you are spending prolonged periods on the computer. The recommendation is at least 5 minutes every hour, or more frequently if the event of pain or discomfort. This break should be used for gently mobilising and stretching to relieve any discomfort.

Other things you can do to help yourself are:

Prioritise the layout of items on your desk.  Position those things you use most often closest to you.  Organise your work so that you are not continually reaching and bending to find papers or items you regularly need.

Use a document holder to minimise eye and head movement if inputting large amounts of data from paper.

Reduce glare and reflections on the screen by adjusting blinds or curtains.

Adjust the contrast and brightness of your screen to suit the lighting conditions in the room.

Clean your display screen regularly with the appropriate cleaning materials.

Use keyboard short cuts to keep keystokes and mouse clicks to a minimum particularly if your work is of a repetitive nature.

Do use a light touch when holding and depressing the mouse button(s).

Keep your elbows close to your body at all times when keying or using the mouse - don’t extend your arms.

Keep your feet flat on the floor or footrest -  don’t sit with you legs crossed or with your feet hooked around the chair base for long periods as this will reduce your circulation.

Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration

Keep yourself fit and healthy by taking regular exercise and eating a well balanced diet. This will help minimise the risk of any computer related health issues

Exercises for Computer Users

The exercises shown are designed to help you avoid or minimise the effects of using the computer and sitting in the same position for long periods of time.  The emphasis is on relaxation.  Try these exercises at the start of your working day and occasionally during the day, particularly after periods of intensive computer use.  Perform each stretch exercise SMOOTHLY and SLOWLY, avoid jerky and bouncy movements.  You do not need to perform all of them or keep to the same order.

Incorporate exercises naturally into your normal working day. For example, go for a walk at lunch time, use the stairs rather than the lift and try to break up your work with movement away from your workstation.

However before you begin exercising, check with your doctor if you feel that this or any other exercise programme may not be suitable for you and stop if you experience any discomfort or pain.

Sit upright and ensure that you have a curve in your lower back, breathe in.  Bring both arms up above your head while breathing out and reach as high as you can, making sure your head is kept straight.  Hold this position for about three seconds.  Gently relax your arms to your sides, breathe in and relax your neck.  Repeat two or three times.

(Note:  This exercise can also be done while standing.)

 

Put your arms in front of your chest and link your fingers together.  Lift your hands and arms above your head with your palms facing upward and stretch towards the ceiling.  Hold for a few seconds. Gently relax.

With arms extended in front of you raise and lower hands several times. Rotate hands 10 times.  Then make a fist and hold tight for 1 second. With palm down spread fingers as wide apart as possible.  Hold for a few seconds then relax your fingers

Slowly turn head left, hold for 3 seconds.  Turn right, hold for 3 seconds.  Drop chin gently to chest, then tilt head back as far as you can. Repeat the sequence 2 or 3 times.

Stand up (or sit) with good posture.  Place your hands on your lower back.  

Push your hips forward and shoulders backwards to arch your body.  Gently come back to the upright position and relax.  Repeat 2 or 3 times.

Sit or stand with your arms hanging loosely at your side.  Raise your shoulders and rotate 2 or 3 times in a forward circular motion and repeat in a backwards direction.

Remember if you are experiencing any aches and pains which persist and you believe may be attributed to computer use then as a precautionary measure seek  advice from the Health and Safety Unit.

The HSE leaflet ‘Working with VDUs” also contains some useful advice and can be accessed from this link:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg36.pdf

Benefits of jogging

Walking? Jogging? Running?

The difference between running and jogging is intensity. Running is faster, burns more calories and demands more effort from the heart, lungs and muscles than jogging. Running requires a higher level of overall fitness than jogging.

Everyone knows that jogging improves cardiovascular capacity and it helps us lose weight. But the majority of people are not fully aware of all the benefits that jogging can provide.

11.    The heart

Studies have shown that regular running can cut your risk of heart disease by 50 per cent and, over time, it will strengthen the cardiovascular system, improving circulation and enabling your heart and lungs to work more efficiently.

According to the British Heart Foundation, around 10,000 deaths as a result of a heart attack could have been prevented each year if people kept themselves fitter with regular aerobic activities such as jogging.

22.      The bones

Running is one of the most high-impact activities. With each stride, you take a shock equivalent to up to five times your body weight reverberating up your legs and into your spine.

According to the National Osteoporosis Society, the weight-bearing effect of running makes it one of the best bone-strengthening activities around.

43.      Weight

Jog at a manageable pace of ten minutes per mile and you will burn an average 4.2 calories per hour for every pound of your body weight (that is 588 calories per hour if you weigh 10st). That's more than you'd use swimming a slow front crawl or cycling at six minutes per mile.

As you get fitter and incorporate faster, higher-intensity bursts of running, these fat-burning effects will be even greater.

64.       IQ

If you’ve ever experienced that feeling of alertness and focus after a run, you won’t be surprised to hear that running is positively beneficial to your grey matter. Research shows that exercise increases production of key brain chemicals that encourage the growth of new cells and help develop new neural pathways (lines of communication between the brain and the body). A recent Swedish study found a clear link between high levels of aerobic fitness and better results in an IQ test – making running the ideal workout for a brain boost.

15.   Stress

Running is an excellent way to escape the pressures of work and studies. By ridding yourself of all the negativity that a day in the office entails, you’re doing yourself and your family a tremendous service. - See more at: http://angryjogger.com/category/jogging-benefiour over-all immunity to stave off several infectious diseases, such as the common cold and flu which are viral diseases, and some bacterial infections.

16.   Diabetes

Jogging also helps control and prevents diabetes. A sedentary lifestyle and being overweight has been shown to directly increase your risk of developing diabetes. Adopting jogging and a healthy lifestyle can prevent you from acquiring this debilitating condition.