Stress News March 2012 · interview with Ben Willmott Taking the Stress Out of Caring 11 By Jessica Smyrl ... packages which cover a range of activity around physical and mental well-being;

Newsletter from International Stress Management Association UK

Stress NewsMarch 2012 Vol 24 No 1

Coming To A Region Near You SoonSpeakers, Workshops & Networking

Stress News March 2012:Stress News March 2012 22/03/2012 16:41 Page 1

INTERNATIONAL STRESS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION UK

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PRESIDENT Professor Terry Looker Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University

HONARY OFFICERS VICE PRESIDENTS Mr.Ben Wilmott Employee Relations Adviser CIPD Dr Stephen Boorman Medical Director Abermed;

Hon Lead Reviewer NHS Workforce Health and Wellbeing at Dept. Health Mr. David Smith Chair BSI Committees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Ann McCracken - Chair NORTHAMPTON Tel: 01788 823361 Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Jenny Edwards – Vice Chair SURREY Tel: 01372 462040 Mob: 07511 271 777 Email: [email protected]

Francis McGinty ESSEXTel: 01702 333388 Mob: 07813 333388 Email: [email protected]

Dr Derek Mowbray GLOUCESTERSHIRE Tel: 01242 603 879 Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Dr Katie Porkess DEVON Tel: 01803 863328 Email: [email protected]

Susan Scott SURREY Tel: 01252 723399 Email: [email protected]

Renee Clark KIDDERMINSTER Tel: 01562 634926 Email: [email protected]

ISMAUK ADMINISTRATOR AND TREASURER

Keith Armstrong PO Box 108. CALDICOT. Monmouthshire. NP26 9AP Tel: 0845 680 7 083 Email: [email protected]

EDITORIAL BOARD OF STRESS NEWS

Managing Editor Jenny Edwards. Psychotherapist, Hypnotherapist, Coach, Stress Management Trainer

Editorial Consultants Ann McCracken - Consultant, Trainer & Lecturer John Clark - CBT/REBT Therapist Professor Terry Looker - Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University Laurie Van Someren - Chair of ISMA International

ALL CORRESPONDANCE TO APPROPRIATE EDITOR

Managing Editor STRESS NEWS

Jenny Edwards 25 St Leonards Road, Claygate, Esher, Surrey. KT10 0EL Tel: 01372 462 040 Tel: 07511 271 777 Email: [email protected]

10 Glen Orrin Avenue, KILMARNOCK, Scotland. KA2 0LR Tel: 07904 492 217 E Mail: [email protected]

Features Editor STRESS NEWS Alice Muir


Editorial

"People who say it cannot be doneshould not interrupt those who aredoing it."Anonymous

Welcome to the first edition of Stress News thisyear, already its almost Easter & chocolate comesto mind! I hope you enjoy this edition, it is aJournal for you & your contributions & suggestionsare most welcome, I look forward to hearing fromyou & hope the year ahead brings you manyopportunities.

Our lead article is a very interesting chapter fromRobertson Cooper’s Annual 2012 Well-Beingreport which is also available as a PDF on themembers area of the ISMA website. The 6Essentials of Workplace Well-Being focuseson the things that deliver positive psychologicalwell-being (PWB) & has identified key enablersand barriers to PWB. Some excellent ‘dos’ and‘don’ts’ for managers and individuals, for each ofthe 6 Essentials is provided.

I am delighted that one of our new & very busyVice Presidents found time to answer someprobing questions from our Features Editor AliceMuir. In the Picture: An Interview with BenWillmott provides an insight into the man at theforefront of Public Policy at the CIPD. His timemanagement is clearly better than mine!

A valuable survey has been submitted by one ofour members Jessica Smyrl who is also ourRegional Co-ordinator for Scotland. Taking theStress Out of Caring demonstrates very clearlythe link between stress and being a career.

Carole Spiers, one of our regular contributors,has written a very valuable article that is relevantin this tight economic climate, Motivatingwithout Money. Carole is also the author ofseveral books on stress and has a new book outthat you can read about in our Book Review -Show stress who's boss!

Our ISMAUK Regional Groups are steadilygrowing and enjoying some lively meetingsnetworking and sharing knowledge. Do contactyour local co-ordinator to find out more and joinin, everyone is welcome, so take a friend orcolleague. There are a few areas that still need aco-ordinator so if you feel that you could spare afew hours & would like to know more pleasecontact Katie Porkess our Board member forregions, she will be delighted to talk to you.

A new feature is In the Spotlight which is a pageto showcase you the members. We want to hearfrom you, it is an opportunity to let othermembers know about you, what you do or areinterested in. Maybe you would like to nominate acolleague who is a member? Let Alice Muir knowif you would like to be ‘In The Spotlight’ it’s reallypainless & Alice has plenty of fun questions to ask!

Web is the Word this time is focussing onOn-Line Confidentiality and IdentityProtection. This is a hot topic right now &something we all really need to become morefamiliar with. Many of us didn’t grow up in an‘on-line’ world & are still not protecting oursecurity as we should. This is excellent informationas we all need to learn to be safer & morecareful with the data we put out on-line.

Finally, I look forward to your feedback, literarysubmissions & ‘seeing’ some of you in thespotlight?

I hope you all enjoy your read and have a lovelyEaster break.

My very best wishes to you all,

JJeennnnyy

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Jenny Edwards


From the ChairBy Ann McCracken

The year 2012 has beenheralded as the year ofchange and for many of usthere has been greatchange. The currentinternational and nationalfinancial changes havebrought with them,hardship and challenges

as well as opportunities. World floods,earthquakes, war and nucleardisaster haveshocked and touched many lives. From each ofthese has emerged heart-warming tales of love,commitment, support and devotion. The humanelement shines through.

Keeping this theme I am delighted to see thecontinuing development of our Regional ISMAUKgroups. I have taken the opportunity to visit 3 ofthese over the last few months and foundenthusiastic groups of members and non-members(soon to be Associates), actively discussing oursubjects of stress, its management and reduction,wellbeing and resilience. I have had the opportunityto explore psycho-neuro-endocrinology (that’s amouthful!) in the Eastern Region, linking theneurotransmitters created in the body with differingemotions resulting in ill health outcomes.In London, I explored Absence v Presenteeism withthe group, and in SW Region I was asked topresent on Stress Awareness for the Individual andthe use if the ISMAUK Stress Risk Factor Wheel.This demonstrates the huge breadth of interest ourmembers have with one to one practitioners,trainers who go into in organisations, or work withsmall groups, as well as consultants advising onstrategy, risk assessment and policy.

The Board is well aware of the professional interestsof the ISMAUK members and its decisions arealways based on the challenge of addressing thesewide ranging needs. With this in mind, we areintroducing localised seminars around the UK overthe next two years and will be happy to hear fromregions who would like to take part. The first onewill be in Leeds and we hope to have one of ournew Vice Presidents as the Key note speaker.There will also be a workshop for practitioners sokeep an eye out for this new initiative and makesure we have your current email address so that wecan inform you all of the June event.

We are also pleased to welcome new membersfrom Canada, USA, South Africa, Spain & TheNetherlands, which shows the rising interest in anddevelopment of our subject around the world. Weare particularly encouraging organisations to signup as members and our stand at the recent NECexhibition on Health & Wellbeing@Work was verybusy with lots of interest fromOccupational Health,Health & Safety and Employee Assistance Providers.

I was delighted to again Chair the StressManagement Stream at this Conference and veryencouraged to see a large turnout of delegates ateach session. Professor Ivan Robertson (ofRobertson Cooper) had a full auditorium of over300 people for his talk on ‘Building EmotionalResilience in a Stressful Working Environment’.Thank you also to all the members who came tothe Conference and visited the ISMAUK stand,including Jenny, Charlie, Frances, Laura, Francisand Renee who gave up their time to work on thestand marketing and informing all the visitors aboutISMA.

One of our projects is to review the ISMAUK websitebut this of course is dependent on financeswhich in turn are dependent on membership.Membership renewals are going very well however,if each member were to introduce a new memberwe could then do so much more on your behalf!Please consider promoting ISMAUK, yourProfessional Body, and when you introduce a newmember or associate, you will be offered a FREE¼ page advert in Stress News with a value of £25!(our Editor will help you).

I wish you all an enjoyable Easter and look forwardto meeting and working with many of you in theyear ahead,

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CCOONNTTEENNTTSSEEddiittoorriiaall 33By Jenny EdwardsFFrroomm tthhee CChhaaiirr 44By Ann McCracken

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IInn TThhee PPiiccttuurree 99interview with Ben WillmottTTaakkiinngg tthhee SSttrreessss OOuutt ooff CCaarriinngg 1111By Jessica Smyrl

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WWeebb iiss WWoorrdd 2233By Alice MuirBBooookk RReevviieeww 2255Reviewed By Laurie Van Someren


The 6 Essentials ofWorkplace Well-BeingChapter from the: Robertson Cooper

annual-report-2012

Well-Being programmes can mean very differentthings depending on which organisation you’relooking at. Some invest in comprehensivepackages which cover a range of activity aroundphysical and mental well-being; programmes thatboost the well-being of individual employees andhave a collective positive impact on theperformance of the organisation. There’s nodoubt that a lot of good work of this sort has beendone in both the public and private sectors;however we all too often hear about the pitfalls ofintroducing a collection of well intentioned, butstrategically disconnected, initiatives whoseimpact does not reach its potential to release ‘thewell-being advantage’. Often what’s missing is aproven model to guide the process ofimplementing well-being initiatives that arestrategically aligned and add up to more than thesum of their parts.

For the purpose of this article I’m going to setaside physical well-being for a moment, and focuson the things that deliver positive psychologicalwell-being (PWB). Research by Cary Cooper andIvan Robertson has identified the key enablers andbarriers to PWB, which flow through to greatersense of purpose, positive emotions and in turnpositive business outcomes. At Robertson Cooperwe call these the ‘6 Essentials of workplacewell-being’ and this model is a way of ensuringthat well-being interventions have the desiredeffect.

The 6 Essentials represent key aspects of workinglife that, when in place, enable well-being.However, when they are missing you see theopposite effect and well-being is blocked.By breaking the workplace situation down into 6areas, psychological well-being becomes moremanageable and easier to tackle – becauseleaders and managers have levers to pull in orderto drive improvement. The essentials provide acommon language for discussing the topic withother stakeholders, from Board members to linemanagers and front-line staff. Developing theseareas creates the ideal environment for employeesto embrace positive challenge and perform to thebest of their ability. Get them wrong and theybecome hindrance pressures, things that chipaway day after day and ultimately damage thewell-being of the business.

Of course, there’s only so far an organisationcan go and employees also need to takeresponsibility for how they respond to theirsurroundings. The business has a responsibility tocreate the conditions for well-being to flourish,while employees have to play their role inensuring the 6 Essentials are enablers of their ownwell-being and that of others – rather thancreating blockers. Below are some ‘dos’ and‘dont’s’ for managers and individuals for each ofthe 6 Essentials.

The 6 Essentials:

1. Resources and communication

Resources cover everything from specialisttraining, to IT equipment, right through to a newstapler! Communication is having adequateinformation about what’s going on in theorganisation, and the local team.

Managers

Use different methods of communication –a mixture of emails, meetings, forums, suggestionboxes, etc. will provide the opportunity for morepeople to feel informed and equipped.

5


6

Just tell people – communication needs to go inboth directions, so encourage and afford them theopportunity to take ownership of issues.

Individuals

Take the initiative to ask your manager forinformation – when you show an interest you canbe confident that he/she will communicate withyou and the team once he/she is in a position todo so.

Use email badly – ensure clear subject headings,provide dates for action and avoid a ‘cc culture’whereby managers and colleagues areunnecessarily included in emails.

2. Control

Control provides a sense of autonomy, and thechance to influence what, and how, work is done.People need to have a feeling of control if that’show they prefer to work – you can’t force it oneveryone though as, contrary to popular belief,some people want it more than others.

Managers

Delegate and involve effectively – not just themenial tasks, but offer people the chance to takeon some genuine responsibility.

Micro-manage – people need to feel they aretrusted to do their jobs and if they aren’t meetingexpectations feedback and personal developmentshould be managed.

Individuals

Take advantage of opportunities, such asappraisals, to discuss your role in-depth andcollaborate on goals, targets and ways ofworking.

Be afraid to share your ideas – if you’ve thoughtof an innovative approach, big or small, share itwith your team or manager to make it happen.If you want more control – ask for it!

3. Balanced workload

A balanced workload means not being faced bywork overload or a negative work-life balance.For some people, this relates to leaving work ontime because they have commitments to fulfiloutside of work; whereas in certain organisationsa heavy workload will be seen as an inevitablepart of the role. What’s important in managing abalanced workload is to establish how troubledpeople are by the situation.

Managers

Offer fair and flexible working wherever possible;and reassure people that it’s ok to use it – modelthe behaviours you want to see yourself.

Be too supportive! This may sound strange, butit’s good for people to be set challenges, as longas they are achievable and they feel they can drawon support if needed. Use pressure positively!

Individuals

Make time to prioritise – trying to do everything atonce is impossible and will lead to more stressand possibly mistakes. And, learn to say ‘no’ ifyou have to...or ‘yes, but not right now’.

Miss opportunities to take respite – leave andlunch breaks need to be taken if you are toperform at your best.

4. Job security and change

Some people embrace change, others recoil fromit, but when our sense of job security is threatenedit will be difficult for nearly all of us. While thesituation can’t always be avoided, you can alwaysensure that you deal with it effectively.


Managers

Communicate as much and as frequently as youcan about the change. Even if the information isnegative, employees would much rather know thatbe kept in the dark. Don’t worry aboutover-communicating.

Implement change for change’s sake – make surethat restructures and new processes are for thebenefit of the company and the team. Consultwith those who will be affected and explain howthings will be better after the change. If you can’t,maybe it’s the wrong change!

Individuals

Take advantage of your social support networkand any support services your employers areoffering.

Assume the worst – even if your instinct is to panic,try to see change in a realistic and, if possible,positive light. It may seem difficult but bear inmind the long term benefits and opportunities.If you see the point of the change be part of it,don’t block it because you are married to howthings are done now.

5. Work relationships

Work relationships are at their best when theinteraction between colleagues is collaborative,but also stimulating and challenging – this mightbe in the forms of constructive debate and/orhealthy competition within the team.

Managers

Get to know your staff – individuals have differentmotivations and working styles, which may not bethe same as your own, but are just as valid.Be alert to any changes in behaviour which couldsignal people aren’t coping.

Inspire unhealthy competition – it’s good toreward success, but not to the extent that team

work is abandoned in favour of individual ends.

Individuals

Participate in team development activities –‘organised fun’ is not everyone’s cup of tea, butdeciding you won’t enjoy it ahead of timewill probably create a self-fulfilling prophecy.By taking the initiative to get to know yourcolleagues (and your manager) you may discoverthere is much more to them than meets the eye.

Respond in the heat of the moment if a colleaguehas done something that has aggrieved you.It can take a long time to undo the damage ahastily sent email can cause.

6. Job conditions

Job conditions are the things that add up to asense of job satisfaction, as well as covering payand benefits and bullying.

Managers

Inspire your team – create a real vision of why youexist and fit into the organisation; paint the biggerpicture so employees understand how theircontribution makes a difference.

Forget to say thank you – it might sound obvious,but it doesn’t happen enough. Reward doesn’talways have to be financial, a personal thanksand some recognition will be well appreciated –and is likely to be remembered the next time youwant something done.

Individuals

Remember what you enjoy about going to work –not just pay day! – whether that’s providing avaluable service, friendly colleagues, or aninspiring manager.

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Over-react – no job will feel great all the time, butif something doesn’t go your way make sure yourevaluation of the situation is based on fact ratherthan just emotion. Try to see the other person’spoint of view – to understand why and how thishas come about.

What’s great about taking action on the 6Essentials is that work in one area will often havepositive effects in the others (for example, the last‘don’t’ has a big dose of work relationships!).And you can approach them as a whole byincluding the concept in management andleadership training; or introducing resiliencetraining so employees are prepared to cope withchallenges in any area. Ultimately there are anynumber of ways to ensure that the 6 Essentials arepart of your organisational culture and practice –there is no prescriptive method for implementingthem; it has to be right for your context andflexible so that ways of ensuring the 6 are in placecan change with your business. As RobertsonCooper’s Founding Director, Cary Cooper, hassaid on many occasions “Get these 6 areas rightin a way that connects to your business objectivesand the rest will follow!”.

Finally, whatever your well-being programmeinvolves – make sure your employees know aboutit and ensure that it’s integrated with other positiveinternal brands (and your external one ifpossible!). By branding and promoting yourinitiatives under one umbrella, from big to small,you can improve take up and employees will beable to appreciate the commitment being madeto them. For example, British Gas’ SMILEcampaign relied heavily on branding to increaseparticipation, and saw employee engagement risefrom 57% to 74%. When staff understand howwell-being fits with other strategic drivers andgoals they are much more likely to accept thechange that often comes with initiatives of this sort.

I would like to thank Robertson Cooper for givingpermission to reproduce this article for thebenefit of the ISMA Membership. A PDF copy ofthis article is available to ISMA members todownload from the members’ area of the website.

Jenny EdwardsEditor

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In ThePicture

An Interview with Ben Willmott

By: Alice Muir, Features Editor

In this edition of ‘In the Picture’I had the pleasure finding out a little bit moreabout Ben Willmott from the CIPD who I amsure many of you will have heard of, here hereveals a few interesting facts about himself,along his passion and commitment to thefield of stress management

Ben Willmott is Head of Public Policy at The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD),which is Europe's largest Human Resources and development professional body, with 135,000members across 120 countries. I managed to track him down last week, and he kindly took time outof a very busy schedule to tell me more about ‘Ben Willmott the person’, as having a special interestin stress, he has recently joined ISMAUK as Vice President. Ben currently leads the CIPD’s PublicPolicy team, which has the not insignificant role of informing and shaping debate, government policyand legislation.

Q. Ben, can you summarise your career to date in 50 words or less

My career began in regional journalism, and since then has taken in employee relations and publicpolicy. I joined the CIPD in 2003, and prior to this was news editor and employment law editor atPersonnel Today magazine.

Q. When did you first know you were interested in stress?

When I was working at Personnel Today magazine

Q. Who do you really enjoy watching at the movies and why?

Ben Kingsley –simply because of his enormous talent as an actor

Q. Which professional achievement gives you the most satisfaction?

Receiving a Master of Laws (LLM), in Employment Law at Kingston University, having completed mydissertation on stress and the law.

Q. Which books did you enjoy most as a child and why?

‘Lord of the Flies’, by Golding, and ‘Lord of the Rings’ by Tolkien because the escapism appealed tome.

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Ben Willmott – Vice Presid

ent ISMAUK


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Q. What's your best tip to pass on to the ISMA members?

It’s so important to highlight the link between employee engagement and lower levels of stress asstress management is to a large degree, about good people management

Q. What would you do if you could be invisible for a day?

Attend a Cabinet meeting!

Q. How is your ‘to do’ list looking right now?

Interesting!

Q. What's your perfect holiday?

Cycling, anywhere!

Q. Who do you admire?

Lord Wilson, a former cabinet secretary and previous CIPD president; Stephen Fry; Johnny Wilkinsonand Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese politician and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, who had been underhouse arrest in her home for 15 years

Q. What is your personal antidote for stress?

Not procrastinating! Running, swimming and spending time playing with my son

Q. What were your funniest and scariest experiences in 2011?

I think the funniest has to be my three year-old son Joe laughing so much at Sooty and Sweep that hefell off the sofa! and the scariest for me as a parent was Joe having croup, a viral infection whichcauses an alarming high pitched cough and difficulty breathing

Q. What puzzles you about stress in the UK today?

Policy makers are no longer addressing it, disseminating good practice on employee wellbeing will onlytake you so far

Q. What has been your favourite music over your lifetime?

Pink Floyd; Rolling Stones; Police; Stone Roses; Red Hot Chilli Peppers; Kings of Leon

Q. What are your current goals as vice-president of ISMA?

Continue to work to get policy makers and business leaders to take stress seriously, and also toencourage employers to invest in developing the management capability to prevent it

MAS Spring 2012 Public Workshops for the prevention of stress:Further information at http://www.mas.org.uk/events-and-seminars.html


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Taking the StressOut of Caring

By: Jessica Smyrl

The approach

An on-line survey was designed to undertake theevaluation of carers and their health andwellbeing and the impact of stress on them.Figure 1 represents a summary of the researchtools that have been used to undertake theevaluation of the initial findings. The specifics ofeach tool are presented below.

Purpose of the Survey

The aim of the survey was to identify trainingneeds and any specific issues carers find duringday-to-day life as a carer and how it impacts ontheir health. In particular, an area which ishighlighted as a problem area is emotional andphysical wellbeing as well as dealing with‘bureaucracy’.

The carers taking part in the survey

The carers who participated in the survey were attraining courses, events or drop-in sessions as wellas carers who had access to a computer. A totalof 55 participated in the survey and this is nearly10% of carers known to Carers Link.

Who are the Carers?

The carers who participated in the survey were alladults and predominantly female, as on averagethe female tends to look after parents rather thanthe male. A mother will be the carer mostly for achild and this leads to them juggling the roles ofwife, mother, daughter etc.

Causes of Stress

Much of the stress experienced by carers is in thenature of the caring itself and that that they aredealing with a loved one who may be sufferingfrom dementia or a child with autism. The mostcommonly reported causes of stress amongstcarers include:

�� Insufficient time in the day�� Juggling work and caring�� Caring for more than one person�� Under pressure�� Sleep deprivation�� Financial worries�� Dealing with bureaucracy and withprofessionals

�� Problems with service providers�� Feelings of guilt and anger towardsthemselves and to their situation

�� No ‘me time’�� Worrying about the future

Fig 1

There are at least 1 in 8 people who are Carersand these are identified carers. There are manycarers who have neither registered nor realisedthat they are in fact carers. In Scotland, there are481,579 carers (based on 2001 Census).Life expectancy is continuing to rise and with anincrease in the number of carers, there doesrequire being specific support mechanisms inplace. Some of the responses to Services andBureaucracy were of particular interest as this isan area which do es demonstrate frustration andfeelings of anger and helplessness.

OnlineResearch

Discussionswith Carers/Carers Link

Observations

Training

Survey


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New research carried out in December 2010shows that there are tough times ahead for carers.The NHS research points to increasing pressureon families who care for ill or disabledloved-ones. The main points are:-

The impact of struggling to provide care for lovedones will leave even more in poor health, andoften having to give up work and struggling onlow incomes. With local councils facingdevastating 28% budget cuts over four years,including 10% in the first year, the outlook forfamilies’ looks extremely bleak unless localcouncils prioritise care and support.

This research does show that cuts to social carewill be counter-productive which will result in moreill-health, not able to work and the numbers offamilies suffering ill-health. There is a clearcorrelation between these negative impacts ofcare and the amount of support that is providedby local councils’ social care services.

Carers in Scotland

There are around 660,000 carers which equatesto 1 in 8 with every single day 500 peoplebecoming carers and in our lifetime 3 in 5 of uswill be carers. By 2037 there will be 1 millioncarers in Scotland.

Currently 110,000 care for 50 hours or more with250,000 carers juggling work (full and part-time)and care.

By 2031, 1.29 million people of pensionable age,with two-thirds having at least one long termcondition.

Significant savings are made to the Governmentwith Carers saving Scotland £7.6 billion per yearand within the UK, Carers save £87 billion per year.

Carers are a third more likely to be in poor healththan non-carers and the main problems arephysical, emotional, social and financial. 1 in 4frequently unable to cope with day to day caringdue to physical and emotional stresses and 2 in 3carers often unable to visit their GP due to timeconstraints and a general lack of flexibility

Interestingly, 95% do realise that their health issuffering and 1 in 5 have to give up work to carewhich can lead to poverty and other problems.

The Results

The first questions asked about the carerand their particular situation.

There were 34.6% male and 65.4% female carerswho participated in the survey with the length oftime providing care an average length of time of8.64 years with 30 years being the highest.

The carers who participated in the survey were48.9% who provide care to a husband, wife orpartner and 40% who cared for their parents(s).17.8% cared for a child less than 18 years of age.More detail in Figure 2 below.

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Those caring for an adult with dementia were inthe majority and this is in line with the nationalaverage.

They also suffer from:

“Traumatic brain injury”

“Cancer”

“An adult who lives with the effects of a braintumour”

Caring for a child who has a physical disability,autistic or with additional needs can causefeelings of isolation and insufficient support inplace. One carer’s comments encapsulates someof the issues:

“I personally find that caring for someone withautism is quite isolating and of the little supportgroups that are available I miss out on thembecause I work and I have to work as I am asingle parent. I have also found dealing withsocial work in terms of trying to gain support etcvery stressful. Red tape and just plainincompetence at times makes an already difficultsituation worse. I have to fight for everythingwhich is very difficult to do when you already feelso pressured”.

Support provided

The support each carer provides varied fromdomestic tasks to giving emotional support.The highest was for meeting health needs such asvisits to appointments etc. A total of 78.3% ofcarers provide emotional support and this couldbe an area which requires more clarity as theyoften feel ill-equipped and vulnerable dealing withthis issue. One carer’s comments were “all care24/7 in every aspect”.

Do you feel under stress?

Carers answered that they were, 53.1% felt thatthey were under stress, and 46.9% weresometimes under stress. This is more than previoussurveys.

Does caring cause you to feel stressed?

Sometimes caring causes 53.3% of carers to feelstressed and 46.7% felt that caring actuallycaused them to feel stressed.

Causes of stress amongst carers

The main areas which causes stress is ‘Dealingwith my own emotions’ such as feeling guilty,angry and this can be due to the fact that theyhave gone through a ‘grieving process’. Somecomments from carers:

“Lack of sibling support, who choose not tomake a greater contribution”.

“No active support from siblings”“Problems with service providers’ worst”“Struggling to gain access to after school andholiday care as I also work full time”.

“My son is very isolated and resenting alwaysbeing with me yet cannot cope with socialsituations well without me etc, I am also asingle parent with extremely little familysupport as they find my son a handful”.

“Missing conversation and laughter in thehouse”.

When caring does not cause stress

One carer answered that they were “facing up toreality/being realistic, managing and maximisingteam help, making allowances for own plusothers weaknesses and diversifying activities whichoccupy the mind”.

Physical health of Carers

Tired and lack of sleep are high levels and thosewho have developed a physical strain or injurysuch as a sore back/shoulder/neck was 27.9%.A health condition of the carer has been madeworse by 34.9% of carers.

Two carers stated how they felt:

“I’m tired some days”

“Terrible stress”.


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Mental Health of Carers

Understandably there was a high percentage with71.1% carers who felt under emotional strain suchas anxiety and stress. There were 34.2% who feltdepressed and 23.7% have been prescribedmedication by their GP. This is potentially avulnerable group and would require additionalhelp and support from professionals.

“Just feel tired at times (can fall asleep reading)”

Mental and physical health related to stress

65.7% of carers agreed with this statement andwhilst they are caring in many instances do nothave enough interaction with other people apartfrom their caring role. This is an area where anarts and crafts group or something similar couldbe appreciated and this would take their mind ofthe caring role, even for a short period.

Role as a carer

This role was seen as important by other familymembers and the person who is being cared for,and this can take up a considerable amount oftime and effort.

A comment from one of the carers who also workssays:

“I don’t think my employer understands thepressures of caring - they certainly never askif I’m ok the only thing I’ve been given isflexible working but I feel pressured toperform in the job to show I can still cope”.

Other comments:

“Sibling support is 50:50 i.e. proactive carevs. duty visit. Social work input is limited toannual review, but social worker is veryhelpful”.

However, the district council’s policy ofchanging home carers is not ideal,particularly once the carer has becomefamiliar with that person’s idiosyncracies andknown to the family.”

“My own family feel let down by the fact thatI can’t support and visit them (neither of mychildren lives in Scotland) more often, and myhusband has made his own life because I’mnot free to do the kind of things - days out,weekends away, and now even evenings outare becoming more restricted - we wouldexpect to be able to do at our age and stage- without a considerable degree oforganisation along with help from a relative”.

“As he’s Autistic I don’t think he fullyunderstands how “important” I am to him,I’m sure if he could he would”.

“It would be useful if dementia patients’hospital notes were tagged”.

Support

The most support carers received was fromCarers Link and family and they do appreciate thetype of help and guidance they received inparticular from Carers Link as this is a unique,personalised and effective service for them. Somecomments were:

“He won’t accept help”

“When I have to attend appointments/reviewsregarding my son or sort out any issues forhim I am made to take it as Annual Leavewhich means I end up struggling to get adecent amount of time off to just relax. It hasbeen left to the employers’ discretion to payparental leave or not which my work do notand frankly I can’t afford to lose any wagesbeing on a low income”.

Survey findings: What needs to beaddressed?

The carers do require more support and thesurvey should identify the level and type ofsupport which would be beneficial to them and totheir caring role. This could be addressed bymeans of focus groups of carers to identify whatadditional support is essential for them to providethis vital role.


The findings show that stress and the potentialimpact of stress-related illnesses could have amajor impact on the Scottish economy. It doesrequire to be addressed with well co-ordinatedsupport mechanisms in place.

With 100% saying that they are under stresswhether all the time or sometimes is significantand indicates that more support is required in thisarea. This could be in the form of more groupsand training sessions. The support is essential toensure that the following areas are looked at inmore detail:

�� Health – the impact of long-term stressraises concern of the health of carers and thiswould directly affect their caring role. Beingtired and lack of sleep will also affect the healthof the carer and this will impact directly on theirrole which has been highlighted. When a careris tired all the time, this will cause them to losetheir patience and how they handle the onethey are caring for. Both stress and anxiety is amajor issue and this can manifest in many wayssuch as on the physical and psychologicalwellbeing of the carers.

�� At work – Lack of support fromemployers is an issue and this along withcaring can be extremely stressful. This ispotentially down to the fact that there is a lackof knowledge and understanding around someemployers. Where are the areas of goodpractice and can these be adopted by others?

�� Bureaucracy – due to issues aroundco-ordination of services and the time everythingtakes for carers to get anything done, causes alot of stress. Lack of communication can causemore stress especially if there has been noupdate as to progress or otherwise of theparticular problem or issue which is being dealtwith at that particular time.

�� More information/meetings/trainingsessions – There were 50% wishing to meet othercarers and this is usually carers in similarcircumstances as themselves. More informationand training sessions was requested by 46.4% toprovide support as well as someone to talk to.

Overview

Overall the findings have been significant in thatstress is a major issue and a problem for carersand this is an area which does need to beaddressed proactively.

Caring causes stress, and the results show that itis impacting both on physical and mental health.Although some carers stated that it did not impacton their health, it is proven that stress over along period of time impacts on psychologicaland physical wellbeing. It can manifest withstress-related conditions such as depression andheart disease.

A study during Carers Week in 2009 found that74% of carers felt that they were stretched to theirlimits by the stress of trying to care for somebodywho was ill, frail or disabled.

Acknowledgement

The author would like to thank Jennifer Roe, ChiefExecutive Officer from Carers Link EastDunbartonshire. I would also extend my thanks toall carers who participated in the survey as well asall staff of Carers Link and the volunteers whoinputted information for the completed hard copysurveys. All those who participated have provideda wealth of information on their experiences ofbeing a carer and how it impacts on their livesand their families.

References

Central Statistics Unit (2004) Community CareStatistics 2002. Scottish Executive, Edinburgh.

Informal Carers Report. A report from the Healthand Social Wellbeing Survey (1997). Departmentof Health, Social

Who cares wins: statistical analysis on workingcarers. (2006) Carers UK, London.

More than a job: working carers: evidence from the2001 Census. (2006). Carers UK, London.

15


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Cooper, C.L., Cooper, R.D. and Eaker, L.H. (1988)Living with stress. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Health and Safety Executive (2001) Tacklingwork-related stress: a managers’ guide toimproving and maintaining employee health andwell-being. Sudbury: HSE Books. Rankin, N.(2009) Employers’ stress management activities:the IRS survey. IRS Employment Review. No 914,29 January. 12pp.

Biography

Jessica Smyrl, RGN RM BA MBA MISMA MRSPH Jessica is the founder of YSM (Your StressManagement) a stress management consultancybased in Glasgow with the main aim of “helpingto prevent stress and improve wellbeing”. Jessicawrote “Stress Management for Carers” followingher experience as a carer, working in the NHS andas a stress management trainer.

Contact Jessica on:

T: 07899 756809

E: [email protected]

W: www.yourstressmanagement.co.uk

Marketing your business was never easier, let fellow members know about:

Any training courses / workshops that you run? Any products that you sell related to stress? A spare therapy room or premises to share? Or are you looking for someone with specific skills to work or collaborate with?

Advertisements are subject to approval by the Managing Editor, to be supplied in a word documentready for print. (Not in PDF) Please ask if you need any assistance.The Cost for advertising is:

£100 for a whole page – A4 portrait, £50 for a half or part of a page – A5 landscape, £25 for a quarter page portrait All adverts will be invoiced and then payable when submitting advertisement Please add VAT to all prices. For inserts A5 / A4, colour or black & white, please ask for a quote A 15% discount is available for 4 advertisements booked and paid for in advance

All advertising materials and enquiries should be made to the:Managing Editor, Jenny Edwards: E: [email protected]

If you shop on AMAZON, then please considerclicking through via the ISMA website.You can buy your books, a Kindle, CD’s, DVD’s,electrical goods, DIY goods, kitchen equipment,in fact whatever Amazon sells, you can still buy.Once inside the Amazon website just navigateto whatever you wish to buy.

You get a great deal and ISMAUK gets acommission. Simples!!!

Go to the ISMAUKwebsite bookstore on:http://isma.org.uk/books andpublications/index.html

Thank you for all your support

Your latest Amazon spending contributions have

given ISMA every little helps!!!

AMAZON SHOPPING& SUPPORTING ISMA

£27.84

INVITE TO ALL MEMBERS TOWRITE FOR STRESS NEWS

We are always looking forarticles for Stress News;share your knowledge,interests, passion,research, interesting facts,even a technique that youhave found useful.

Any questions or for more informationplease email: [email protected]

It’s really easy & looks good as a publishedauthor for your CV too!


ISMAUK Seminars For 2012 & 2013

Coming To A Region Near

You Soon

Speakers, Workshops & Networking

For Members & Non-members

June 2012: Yorkshire & the North West

September 2012: London & the South East

Venues & further details for both events will follow soon

For more information T: 0845 680 7 083 E: [email protected]

The ISMAUK Board is pleased to announce some exciting news for the members. Instead of our usual annual conference, for 2012 and 2013 we are taking ISMAUK out to the members, providing a series of Seminars with speakers, workshops and networking opportunities.

Ann McCracken & Jenny Edwards will be organising the Seminars on behalf of the Board The first Seminar will be in June in the North West & Yorkshire Regions with Frances Taylor & Estelle Penrose helping to support the event A programme with details of speakers, times, costs and venue will be available after Easter and will be sent by email so make sure ISMAUK has your correct address The Seminars will be open to everyone interested in the field of stress and its outcomes for both the individual and in the workplace, including wellbeing & resilience They will be half day Seminars beginning or ending with a networking lunch, providing opportunities to promote your own business & update your knowledge Delegates will receive certificates for CPD

All enquires & for any further information please contact:

Keith Armstrong, Administrator on:

T: 0845 680 7 083 E: [email protected] W: www.isma.org.uk


Motivating WithoutMoney

By Carole Spiers

Last week, I was speaking to Samina, in Dubai.She is a senior sales manager in an engineeringcompany and she said that her greatest challengewas motivating her team. In previous years, theusual way was to pay a bonus or increase salaries.However, this year there was no bonus to be paidand despite her team working very hard,sometimes putting in a 12 hour shift per day, thecompany Board had decided not to award anybonus during the current economic climate.

So what are the other alternatives and how canshe motivate her team? Is it possible for her tomotivate her team without giving additionalfinancial reward?

Motivating Factors

One of the most effective ways of motivating ateam is to ensure that they understand andappreciate the aims of the company ororganisation for which they work and that they aresupported by management all working towardsthe achievement of those common aims.They need to appreciate the current situation andone-to-one discussions are imperative to achievethis understanding.

In this case, where company policy dictates thatthere will be no increased remuneration, there isstill an absolute need to get team ‘buy-in’ andcommitment. Any manager is only as successfulas his or her department and that means that theteam must be properly advised of the overallposition and the need to conserve funds and toincrease efficiency in order to survive.

There are many positive ways to motivate a teamand here are few ideas to start off with:

1. One-to one sessions in which the situationis explained in full, that although there is nomore money at this time, there may be otherways in which the employer can show itsappreciation for work done well. Eachindividual should be asked what else, otherthan money, is important to them and tellthem that you value their input.

2. The completing of feedback forms orquestionnaires, which should beconfidential, will give your team anopportunity to be open and honest abouttheir feelings towards you and the companyand what ideas they might have forimprovement.

3. Team building activities outside the workingenvironment can be a definite advantage.This can lead to a much happier andhealthier working environment and suchexercises can also help in the resolution ofpre-existing issues within the team.

4. Every month, have one lunchtime activitywhere you discuss how things are going,what improvements can be made. In simpleterms, involve everyone all the time.Everyone takes it in turn to bring in lunch foreveryone else.

5. Communication does not only mean talkingto your team but also listening to them. It isimportant to ensure their full understandingof the company objectives and theirindividual roles but it is equally important toshow them the importance of their feedbackto the achievement of targets and standards.

6. Small incentives like McDonald vouchers,spa days out for the family, cake days on aFriday et al. These are token gestures anddon’t cost much money but they do show,albeit in some small way, that you care andthat you take their situation seriously.

18


19

Motivating a team is always easier if you fullyunderstand that they may not necessarily bemotivated by the same factors that motivate you.The most effective teams are those that feelvalued, supported and recognised. If a teamunderstand the company challenges, then they aremore likely to work harder towards theirachievement.

Furthermore, people tend to respond well to beinggiven the opportunity to make decisions and takeon additional responsibilities. Some teams maywelcome the opportunity to work for a charitywhere they feel they are making a realcontribution.

Whatever motivational techniques work the best,it is always best to ensure that your team feel theyare making a valuable and positive contributionand that way, you are doing your best to retaintalent and for them not to look elsewhere.

Key Points

1. There are other ways to motivate apart frommoney

2. Employer and employee must have acommon commitment

3. Listening to the individual can bringvaluable input

Carole Spiers MIHPE, MISMA is a Past Chair ofthe International Stress Management Associationand former President of the Professional SpeakingAssociation. She is a motivational speakerworking with equal success in the contrastingcultures of the UK and UAE with multi-nationalblue-chip clients.

New Book now out: Show Stress Who’s Boss!http://www.showstresswhosboss.co.uk

Contact Carole Spiers Group for proven stressmanagement solutions:[email protected]

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ISMAUK

RegionalGroups

The New Year got off to a good start with threesuccessful events.

The Western Region group met on Saturday28th January. Despite the winter timing, thedelegates enjoyed a bright sunny day in the settingof the beautiful Blackdown Hills. The theme forthe day was “Managing Stress at Times ofChange.” Sue Young presented in the morningsession, on the “Transition Curve,” which is a veryuseful tool for being aware of the emotions andbehaviours that people are likely to experienceduring times of change in their life whether thatchange is perceived as beneficial or negative.

In the afternoon session, Ann McCracken gavea presentation on Stress Awareness for theindividual, talking about how stress can betransmitted from negative personalities who cantransmit, dump or carry their negative outlookonto others. Ann also talked through the use ofthe ISMAUK Stress Risk Factor Wheel can be usedto carry out self assessments for risk ofexperiencing stress.

The next meeting will be on 19th May 2012 whenthe guest speakers will be Richard Frost ofMindful Employer and Alison Williams of Devon &Somerset Fire and Rescue Services. The theme forthe day is “Being a Mindful Employer”. Membersand non-members are very welcome to attend.Bookings for 19th May are being taken by KatiePorkess [email protected] andearly bookings are recommended. Another eventis planned for the autumn in the South West.Details available later in the year.

There was an excellent 2nd event in London on16th February 2012. Feedback from thedelegates was excellent - they had enjoyed the

meeting and were pleased with the location andchoice of venue. Attendees also said they foundthe event thought provoking. These events wereconsidered as tremendous opportunities to raisethe profile of ISMAUK through awareness raising,as well to increase membership from attendeesthat are non ISMAUK members. For details offuture meetings, please contact Edmund Jacobson [email protected].

The East Region meeting was also well attendedwith attendees from a variety of backgrounds.The speaker, Ann McCracken, spoke on theScience Supporting Wellbeing, which was verywell received. Her insight into the challenges ofproviding stress management support in thecorporate world was extremely valuable.Two further half-day meetings are planned forlater in the year. One is in June, (date to bedecided) and the other is on 6th September, witha focus on NSAD on Wednesday, 7th November.Please contact Charlie Damonsing for details [email protected].

The next meeting of the North West area willtake place on Friday, 16th March. The fourspeakers on the day will be Mike Hannon, SeniorOccupational Safety & Health Adviser, StockportCouncil and Liz Sharrocks, Employee EngagementAdvisor, Places for People, who will present apractical session based on their experiences ofworking with private service providers. CarolJohnson, Director of Services, HealthCV, describeshow health checks, such as measuring bodycomposition and metabolic age, can supportemployee wellbeing and Joan Corcoran, stressmanagement practitioner, occupational therapistand person centred counsellor will share herunderstanding on the Physiology of stress.For more details, please contact Frances Taylor [email protected]

An event is being planned for Scotland on18th May. Please contact Jessica Smyrl [email protected] for details.

An interest meeting will be held shortly for theYorkshire region. Please contact Estelle Penroseon [email protected] for moreinformation.

20


Region Contact Telephone E-Mail

Scotland Jessica Smyrl 07899 756809 [email protected]

North West Frances Taylor 07967 968821 [email protected]

North East Vacant

Yorkshire Estelle Penrose 0113 8160 145

07739 036252

[email protected]

Central England Karen Oehme 01159 452384 [email protected]

East England Charlie Damonsing 07715 596 487 [email protected]

West Midlands Vacant

Wales Vacant

London Edmund Jacobs 07795 047324 [email protected]

South East Vacant

South West Katie Porkess 01803 863328 [email protected]

Ireland John Littleton 00 353 1404 8128 [email protected]

EU & Overseas Vacant

Board Co-ordinator Katie Porkess 01803 863328 [email protected]

Snapshots of the London Regional event in February, great job Edmund!

21

All the regional meetings and events are open toeveryone, which includes ISMAUK members andguests, non-members and visitors, so all are verywelcome!

If you are interested in attending an event, joiningin activities, and meeting people with a similarinterest in stress management or just helping,please contact your local co-ordinator to find outmore.

We also have several regional co-ordinatorvacancies so if you would like more informationon what is involved or would consider sharing therole then please contact

Katie PorkessBoard Co-ordinator for the [email protected].


22

Dr Ken Hambly

Ken is a retired ISMA Member who joined in 1999. Now aretired GP, he worked before that in hospitals as a surgicalregistrar, and in obstetrics delivering babies so worked withstressed patients every day in Newry (N Ireland), Alberta(Canada), Leeds, Coventry, Orkney, Ayrshire, Kirkcudbright,and Sterling.

Ken has been involved in the field of stress since become aGP, when he was a voice in the wilderness! He wrote his firstarticle in 1981, and first book (of 6) in 1983 -'OvercomingTension' (Sheldon).

It was his involvement with his patients, and experience ofpersonal stress as a GP that encouraged his work in the fieldof stress when he was probably one of the first GP’s to dothis. He had just 7 minutes to help a stressed patient, andwanted to do more than write a prescription so writing aninformation leaflet, including breathing exercises for themto take home seemed the logical way forward.

Looking after his patients, getting the message acrossthrough radio and TV interviews, writing articles for otherGP’s, in Women's magazines and also writing self-helpbooks was just some of the stress-related work Ken did.From 1994 he initiated and delivered 'Stress Adviser'training for nurses and other health professionals (with AliceMuir), training hundreds of occupational health staff all overthe UK before he retired.

His favourite book is Zen and the Art of Motor CycleMaintenance and for a Top Tip to other ISMA members, Kensays he learned everything about stress from trying to helphis patientsso encour-ages ISMAmembers tobe open tolearning fromtheir clients'experiences.

Jessica Smyrl

Jessica has been a members since 2009 and covers thewhole of the UK carrying out stress-related recently workingin the north of England and the west of Scotland. She hasan on-line store that brings in requests from all over the UKand Ireland.

Jessica has been involved in the field of stress as a businesssince 2009 but gained her experience over a period of timeworking within the NHS. When there were significantchanges in 2000 onwards some of Jessica’s staff wereexperiencing stress and was beginning to show signs ofstress herself. As a result she went to college to take aDiploma in Stress Management and was able to use hernew skills gained to help colleagues, friends and relatives.

Jessica founded YSM in 2009 after working in the NHS forover 25 years with her first break coming from the carercharity she was volunteering with. They were looking for astress management consultant and training provider andasked Jessica to initially carry out some consultancy andthen training for carers. Recent work has been with conflictand anger management, resilience within the workplaceand advising managers on how to deal with stress and theimpact of stress at work. Jessica is also working with acareer charity providingsupport and training for careersexperiencing stress on how to manage stress.

Jessica’s pet hate is when someone doesn’t give a positiveacknowledgement in some way when she holds a door openfor them and her Top Tip for other ISMA members is toconcentrate on the upswhen running your ownbusiness and whenthere are downs,accept them and moveon quickly to the nextpositive step – this willhelp you to grow andprosper.

Ken is the one wearing the hat!

Jessica (on a windy day)

An ISMA member’s page, showcasing YOU!

To nominate yourself or a colleague just contact either:

Alice Muir, Features Editor on: [email protected]

Jenny Edwards, Editor on: [email protected]

Jessica (on a windy day)Ken is the one wearing the hat!

Jessica (on a windy day)

Ken is the one wearing the hat!


23

Web is the Word

On-Line Confidentiality andIdentity Protection

Whenever we are on-line, the whole world canknow about it, and know which brand oftoothpaste we're ordering from Tesco, or the sizeof the shirt we've selected from Debenhams.Even if we don't go for the trainers we ponderedabout in the Nike sale, the same shoes, or otherslike them will mysteriously and magically flash upat the top or side of our screen, the next time we'rechecking e-mail, or looking at the weatherforecast. And have you ever wondered why somany of the adverts which appear on your screenare things you're actually quite interested in?Or why your e-mail address is already filled inwhen you log in to your favourite sites? I onceclicked on a romantic fiction title, by mistake, onAmazon, and for months afterwards, I wasbombarded with e-mails listing, 'titles I might like',mainly from the Mills and Boon genre. Even thatenticing ‘free gift’ has a sting in its tail, as you findyou have to register, or ‘open an account’ toclaim the freebie, and provide all kinds ofpersonal details, just for that great free toy for thedog.

This is the world of cookies, and marketingprofiles and targeted selling. And just as a 'mouse'has no fur and doesn't squeak, a cookie is notsweet and you can’t eat it. A cookie is a small datafile lodged in your hard drive completely legallyby an outside body so that it sets up their websitejust as you like it, next time you log on, and it canrecord your browsing preferences. Your computercan contain many of these, unless your internet

security software is regularly picking them up and'devouring ' them. There are databases andorganisations out there knowing more about youthan you know about yourself.

Protection of identity and confidentiality istherefore a live and very relevant issue on the net.This is particularly true if you are e-mailing clientsdiscussing private matters, or conducting on-linetherapy.

General suggestions

� Put a password on your computer, toprevent anyone passing by accessing yourinformation.

� Use parental controls and other limitingsoftware to prevent children giving awayyour family secrets.

� Only give information on-line which isabsolutely essential.

� Unless it really matters, consider not givingyour exact birth date - one near enough willdo. It’s usually only being requested formarketing purposes, so sellers will tempt youto buy an Abba CD, rather than one byAdele or The Pet Shop Boys.

� Rather than giving your everyday personale-mail address, set up a free e-mail addressto use when you register with websiteson-line.

� Check your profile or account settings, andthe ‘Privacy Policy’ on any website you use.The default settings are often not to yourbest advantage.

� Read the site’s terms and conditions – yes,actually read them, don't just click the 'haveread' box, in your haste to get into the site.A quick skim will allow you to spot anyproblem areas.

Social sites

If you spend any time on social networking sites,even a short 'status update' or message willimmediately become available to your cyberfriends, and possibly their friends, and so on.Many people have hundreds of friends orconnections. Prospective clients or employers canalso see what you were doing at the weekend.Similarly if you are a blogger, or just like to

Alice Muir


comment on what others have to say. Here aresome ideas for using SNSs or blogging,commenting, or even just clicking on a 'like' or'share' button:

� An often made suggestion is to imagineyou're talking to an audience of thousandsof people you don't know, the papers andTV, and the police service, before you write a single word, or 'tweet' about your latestnews.

� Same applies for that cute or sentimentalphotograph you just couldn't wait to share –imagine it on the front page of a tabloidnext day (I've seen this happen), before youpress 'Enter'.

� Set your ‘privacy settings’ the way you wantthem, and exclude unwanted prying eyes.

Financial security - suggestions

� Keep account details safe and secure, andnever give them out over the phone orinternet unless you're 100% sure who you'redealing with. That’s 100% - not even 99.9%will do.

� Don't use the same password and PIN forseveral sites. Preferably keep thisinformation in your head, or use the samesystem to create these each time, or keepthem very safe somewhere.

� Make use of any extra security systemsthe bank offers you, even if this istime-consuming.

More information

I've only been able to give a few useful pointershere. And the truth is that it's probably impossibleto maintain 100% confidentiality, and identityprotection on the net. Though that's almostcertainly just as true in the real world as it is in thevirtual one. But to protect yourself as much as ishumanly possible, here are some sites with reallygood information and advice about the issuesintroduced here. For any of these sites, run asearch from the home page using the key wordyou’re interested in, such as cookie, identity, orconfidentiality.

www.livinginternet.com

www.staysafeonline.org

www.aboutcookies.org

www.direct.gov.uk

www.yourrights.co.uk

www.liberty-human-rights.co.uk

Alice MuirChartered Psychologist

If you have anything you would likefeatured in this regular column aboutthe internet,

contact me at Alice Muir Training,e-mail: [email protected] orvia my website www.stresstrain.co.uk.

24

If you shop on AMAZON, then please considerclicking through via the ISMA website.You can buy your books, a Kindle, CD’s, DVD’s,electrical goods, DIY goods, kitchen equipment,in fact whatever Amazon sells, you can still buy.Once inside the Amazon website just navigateto whatever you wish to buy.

You get a great deal and ISMAUK gets acommission. Simples!!!

Go to the ISMAUKwebsite bookstore on:http://isma.org.uk/books andpublications/index.html

Thank you for all your support

Your latest Amazon spending contributions have

given ISMA every little helps!!!

AMAZON SHOPPING& SUPPORTING ISMA

£27.84

INVITE TO ALL MEMBERS TOWRITE FOR STRESS NEWS

We are always looking forarticles for Stress News;share your knowledge,interests, passion,research, interesting facts,even a technique that youhave found useful.

Any questions or for more informationplease email: [email protected]

It’s really easy & looks good as a publishedauthor for your CV too!


SHOW STRESS WHO'SBOSS!The Essential Guide to Managing Stressby Carole Spiers,PB, 256 pages £15.00

A Book Reviewed by:

Laurie Van Someren

Carole writes in a conversational style using whatmight loosely be called a cognitive-behaviouraltherapy (CBT) model. The book's sections areentitled ‘Spotting the Symptoms’, ‘Gauging theReaction’, ‘Getting to Grip’, and ‘RegainingControl’; the last covering Changing Behaviour,Developing a Healthy Lifestyle; and Changingyour Mindset. Additional resources are describedin about 40 more pages.

The book is aimed at various audiences, includingindividuals needing help in managing stress, andalso managers needing to deal with stress in theworkplace and its consequences. It is aninteresting and informative read for anyonesuffering from stress; drawing skilfully upon heryears of accumulated experience as it explores theeffects of stress on the individual, the mental andphysical symptoms and the action(s) to take tounderstand and mitigate them.

The section on ‘Spotting the Symptom’s debunksa number of myths, involves the reader inanswering simple questions, and describes someof the physiology of stress and the ways itmanifests in oneself and in others.

‘Gauging the Reaction’ goes into more detailabout individual responses such as Type A andType B behaviours, and again getting the readerto respond to questions provided. It refers to theoriginal 1967 Holmes and Rahe Life Events Scalebut not to later developments in life stress events.

The longest section, ‘Getting to Grips’, is aimedmore, but not exclusively, at managers and teamleaders in the workplace. It goes through familiarwork-related stressors and their signs and thendiscusses the action one can take, both in generaland in specific terms. It also invites writtenparticipation from both staff and managers, andtouches upon work/life balance. Case historiesare used liberally, and sub-sections coverparticular skills, such as Conducting an AppraisalInterview, or Identifying the Root Cause ofWork-Related Stress. A section on developingempathy skills is very original.

‘Regaining Control’ gets into the details; eachsubsection is full of How-To tools and tips, with theone on Changing Behaviour touching oncommuting stress and time management, forexample. Healthy Lifestyle covers sleep, diet andexercise amongst others, and Changing yourMindset has nine pages on what a psychologistmight regard as the most important issue;cognitive restructuring.

Each point is elaborated in a reader-friendlyformat using a cartoon lion and variations to thetypography to emphasise points. If those sufferingfrom stress took half the advice relevant to them,they could not fail to improve their condition!

It is an intensely practical book reflecting Carole'slong experience in the front lines of training in,and advising on Stress Management from theBoardroom to the Shopfloor. She has distilled thatexperience down into a comprehensive bookuseful both as a review for reference, and as FirstAid manual for stress-related conditions.

This book is one that stands out as the one thatdelivers what it says on the cover. I recommendyou read it and you will really be able to showstress who’s boss!

The book has its own website where you can havea preview of the first chapter, and if you decide tobuy it here, you will also receive a free stress testcard and an individually signed copy of the book:-http://www.showstresswhosboss.co.uk

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26

Membership NotesThe Members of the Board of Trustees and I wouldlike to offer a warm welcome to the following newmembers and wish them a long and profitablerelationship with ISMAUK

MEMBERSM2241Mark AtkinsonTONGHAM, Surrey

M2243Clare CassonLONDON

M2250Alexandra LangridgeBRIGHTON, Sussex

M2251Roxine Beaumont-SempillEGREMONT, Cumbria

M2252Keira HenryLONDON

M2253Alice GreeneLONDON

M2254Katie RishiCHESSINGTON, London

M2256Alan BradshawALVA, Clackmannanshire

M2261Linda BeynonCRAWLEY, West Sussex

M2265Michelle ClemonsLONDON

M2266Janet HayesDURHAM, County Durham

M2275Natasha ShearerINVERGORDON, Highland

ASSOCIATEA2249Christina JonesNORTHAMPTON, Northamptonshire

A2255Iain RobertsonDOVER, Kent

A2257Karen BourneTARPORLEY, Cheshire

A2258Pablo Munoz GactoMADRID, Spain

A2259Vicki HollowayMALVERN, Worcestershire

A2260Gill MathiasLOUGHBOROUGH, Leicestershire

A2263Caroline ThomasLEIGH ON SEA, Essex

A2264Suzanne SelvesterLEIGH ON SEA, Essex

A2267Simon MillardAMSTERDAM, The Netherlands

A2268Ivor WilliamsCARDIFF, South Glamorgan

A2270Ingrid PrueherFAIRFIELD CT, USA

ORGANISATION

O2269Workable Management Solutions LtdPOWICK, Worcestershire

HONORARY

H2246Renee ClarkKIDDERMINSTER, West Midlands

Keith ArmstrongISMAUK Administrator


27

INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS

GENERAL The Editors reserve the right to edit and revise all contributions. Non-gender language should be used throughout; avoid usingmasculine pronouns to refer to people in general. Photographs should be monochrome, and all illustrations and diagrams shouldbe provided ready for print. Low quality artwork will not be used. All items should be addressed and forwarded to theappropriate Editor whose address is on the inside front cover.

ARTICLES

Please forward articles to the Features Editor. All articles will be read and considered for publication including articles on allaspects of stress management, research findings, stress management practice illustrated with descriptions of case studies andgroup sessions, considered response to published articles or current issues.

Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced throughout with margins, using headings and sub-headings where appropriate.Word count should not exceed 2,500 words without agreement by the Features Editor. Manuscripts should carry a word counton each page and an overall total. Manuscripts should not carry any reference to the author's name since articles are subject toanonymous review. Instead, on a separate sheet include name, qualifications, address, telephone number and currentprofessional activity. Where case studies are used, enclose a separate sheet signed by the author, confirming that any clientdescribed in the article has given permission for the material to be published. Care should be taken to protect the privacy andconfidentiality of the client. The Editors of Stress News and the Executive Committee of ISMAUK cannot be held responsible whereclient confidentiality is breached. Please state that the article being submitted is not under consideration elsewhere and has beensubmitted only to Stress News. Material should be submitted on disk as the output of a well-known word processing programme,or by email. Also include two hard copies of the manuscript with a stamp-addressed return envelope.

LETTERSLetters for publication should be sent to the Managing Editor.

NEWS ITEMSThe News Editor welcomes news, views, ideas; reports from Branches and Committees of the Association; letters ,andinformation about new publications, organisations or activities; details regarding exchanges, research needs, training,obituaries, competitions, etc. All items should be typed with margins or submitted in a legible form, and on a disk as the outputof a well-known word processing programme.

ADVERTISEMENTS

Advertisements are subject to approval by the Managing Editor and are to be supplied ready for print in a word doc or docx.The price is £100 for a whole page, £50 for a half page, £25 for a quarter page and inserts at £100, payable when submittingthe advertisement. Please add VAT to all prices. A 15% discount is available for 4 advertisements booked and paid for inadvance. All advertising materials, enquiries and information on formatting details should be made to the Managing Editor.If you wish to place an advertisement please contact the Managing Editor

DISCLAIMER

Views expressed in Stress News are those of individual contributors and not necessarily of ISMAUK. Similarly, conferences, courses,events and organisations announced or advertised are the responsibility of the sponsor, and their inclusion does not necessarilyimply approval by ISMAUK. Advertisers may not incorporate in any subsequent promotional piece or advertisement the fact thatthey or their service has been advertised in Stress News. The Association reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisementor insert without notice. Publication of advertisements in Stress News is not an endorsement of the advertiser or servicesadvertised.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright will normally belong to the author and ISMAUK unless otherwise stated. ISMAUK reserves the right to publish articles onits website. With the agreement of the Managing Editor and the author, material produced in Stress News may normally bereproduced by ISMAUK members for training purposes. ISMAUK asks that they use the following statement: "First published in StressNews, the Journal of the International Stress Management Association UK, volume number and date". A fee will be charged forcommercial use of articles and permission must be obtained from ISMA UK prior to use.

© 2009 International Stress Management Association UK


Working for Wellbeing Ltd

The Official ISMAUK Training Partner

Be one of the first ISMAUK accredited trainers!

The world of stress management is changing with the creation of new

British Standards (BSI) PAS 1010,1011 & 1012.

These standards have been created to meet:

1. The growing expectation of regulation from the insurance

industry, government and business

2. A need to establish an auditable quality controlled

qualification

3. A system of risk management for you and your clients

To be one of the first to obtain the Master Practitioner Qualification for Trainers in Stress Management you must:

• Successfully complete WFW training modules 1-3

1) Organisational Stress

2) Management Competencies & Standards

3) Resilience, Wellbeing and Returning to Work

• ISMAUK members can obtain a discount of up to 40%

(NON ISMA members upto 30%) when booking onto all 3 modules.

ISMA member price £3600 (Standard price £6000)

Note: It is not a requirement to attend all three modules, delegates

can book on to individual modules and be registered with those skills.

Contact: [email protected] or visit www.workingforwellbeing.co.uk for more information.

Copyright Working For Wellbeing Ltd 2011


Documents

Stress News March 2012 · interview with Ben Willmott Taking the Stress Out of Caring 11 By Jessica Smyrl ... packages which cover a range of activity around physical and mental well-being;