The holiday season can be a stressful time for many individuals, workloads often increase as staff try to finish work before the break.
Others may have money concerns if the holiday period has stretched them financially. Weather can also have an impact on employee wellbeing due to the shorter days providing less sunlight.
For some people the prospect of spending time with family members or being apart from others may not be as joyous or festive as it otherwise might be. The strain is often known as ‘festive season stress’; unlike everyday stress we encounter in our daily lives it tends to be more intense and specific largely due to expectations and obligations associated with the festive season.
Some ways you can access support
Access to a free counselling service and a wealth of wellbeing resources:
- contact Health Hero
- one-off phone calls
- structured telephone counselling
- face to face counselling (six sessions in a rolling 12 month period)
- face to face couple counselling (seven sessions in a rolling 12 month period).
- counselling for dependents
- legal guidance
- debt counselling
- health and wellbeing information
- financial and tax information
- younger care and elder care
- stress and emotional counselling
- short term face to face counselling
- an online wellbeing resource hub.
You can also reduce stress by taking time off and re-charging. Or you could engage with St Mary’s festive activities and events; attending some of the activities may help boost your moral and encourage a positive work environment. It’s also a good way for us to say thank you for all your hard work over the year.
Make sure to put your health first; eat healthily, go for daily walks or exercise and try and practice mindfulness. If you would like to find out more about our support service Health Hero, please email the hrhelpdesk@stmarys.ac.uk.