This article was published on Tue 02 Apr 2024. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us

Stress Awareness Month is held each April, to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures of stress. This year The Stress Management Society has chosen the theme ‘little by little, a little becomes a lot’. For more details click here.

We all know what it’s like to feel stressed – being under pressure is a normal part of life. But becoming overwhelmed by stress can lead to mental and physical health problems or make existing problems worse.

Millions of people around the UK are experiencing high levels of stress if you are one of them, it may be damaging your health.

Stress isn’t a mental health condition, but it can cause a mental health problem, like anxiety or depression or it can cause an existing one to get worse. Stress can also affect you physically, it can cause headaches, insomnia, tiredness, or stomach problems.

Individually we need to understand what is causing our personal stress and learn what steps we can take to reduce it for ourselves and those around us. National Stress Awareness month is a great opportunity to take a moment to do this and think about our own wellbeing.

What you can do to help manage worries and stress

There are various steps you can take to cope with being under pressure, remember, different things work for different people.

Breathing exercises – stop and take a breath, learn a new breathing technique like box breathing or baby breath.

Write down your worries and concerns – this may help process your thoughts and emotions. You can then read the worries back and try to think of them from a different perspective.

Keep a daily routine – our overall wellbeing relies on our daily routines; these also help with sleeping & eating patterns. This is why it’s important to ensure you and your family have structure in your day. They can also include things to look forward to.

Identify your triggers and take control – working out what triggers your stress can help you anticipate when you may feel stressed and what you could do about it in advance.

Organise your time – making some adjustments to the way you organise your time can help you feel more in control and able to handle the pressure you are feeling.

Keep active – exercise can help clear your head and then let you deal with your problems more calmly. Go outside to exercise, as fresh air and spending time in nature can really help.

Stay healthy – as well as exercise it’s important to maintain a healthy diet and ensure you are getting enough sleep. To read our sleep guide click here, or to read our Healthy Eating guide click here.

Talk to other people – friends, family & colleagues can help support you through the stress you are feeling, you may even have a laugh and start to relax. You may also want to consider talking to a professional counsellor.

Do something you enjoy – spending time doing something you enjoy will take your mind off how you are feeling. Everyone needs to take time for themselves, it can be as simple as having a bath or reading a book.

Avoid unhealthy ways to cope – many people use alcohol, smoking, chocolate, and gambling to try and relieve the stress they are feeling, none of these things will help in the long term, use healthy coping strategies like going for a run, listening to music, or walking the dog.

Challenge yourself – learning new skills and setting yourself new goals will help build your confidence and make you feel good about yourself.

Help others – think of others in your local community, who may need help with small tasks, like shopping or volunteer to help a worthwhile cause, like litter picking or the local food bank. People who help others tend to be more resilient.

Keep informed – whilst it’s important to keep up to date with the latest news, it can be overwhelming, so in order to manage any feelings of stress and anxiety consider only checking the news and social media once a day.  Ensure you stick to trustworthy sources for the latest information.

Keep positive – it’s very easy to focus on the negatives of a situation. But it’s important to stay positive. You could also think of all the things you are grateful for, write down or say out loud 3 things that went well each day. Use these positive statements to create a positivity jar with your family.

Try Mindfulness – mindfulness can help reduce stress; it can also give you the space to respond calmly under pressure.  For more details click here.

Address some of the causes – where possible improve some of the issues that are putting pressure on you.

Accept the things you can’t change – it’s not easy but accepting that there are some things happening to you that you can’t do anything about will help you focus your time and energy elsewhere.

Be kind to yourself – don’t be too hard on yourself, look for positives in your life and make time for self-care.

Useful links:

NHS

Mind

Mental Health Foundation

Stress Management Society

Anxiety UK

World Health Organisation

Worrying about money can be extremely stressful and may lead to mental health conditions. Police Mutual are here to help. We want to break down the stigma surrounding debt and get people talking about money.

We’ve teamed up with PayPlan*, one of the UK’s leading free debt advice providers, who offer free and confidential advice to anyone in serious financial difficulties.

They’re able to advise you on a range of debt solutions suited to your individual circumstances, helping to protect you and your family with a sustainable way to manage your debt.

Get free and confidential help to combat your debt, call PayPlan* on 0800 197 8433

*PayPlan is a trading name of Totemic Limited. Totemic Limited is a limited company registered in England, Company Number: 2789854. Registered Office: Kempton House, Dysart Road, PO Box 9562, Grantham, NG31 0EA. Totemic Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Conduct Authority Number: 681263.

Want to learn more? Access our wellbeing hub here.

This article was published on Tue 20 Feb 2024. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us

Self-harm and Self-injury Awareness Day takes place every year on 1st March.

The purpose of the day is to reduce the stigma around self-harm, to make it ok to talk about and to raise awareness about the support available for those who self-harm.

Raising awareness leads to understanding and empathy.  It banishes judgement and fear and reduced the number of people who suffer in silence.  The day is about educating people who do not self-injure and reaching out to people who do.

Teenagers are the most likely group to self-harm.  Young Minds report that 1 in 12 young people self-harm and that 75% of young people know someone who self-harms. Children as young as 5 have been known to self-harm, but there is a sharp increase in self-harming behaviours when children reach 11 years old, continuing throughout teenage years and adulthood. However, anyone may self-harm regardless of their age, gender, race, or lifestyle choices.

People who self-harm say that it helps them alleviate emotional numbness and releases tension.

Self harm is a coping strategy that helps people to manage their emotional hurt or stress.  There are many reasons why someone may self-harm.  It may be to help them regain a sense of control or a sense of feeling, to express their internal pain, as an act of self-punishment or as a form of expression.

Self-harm can take many different forms and behaviours that are not in our best interests, including:

• cutting
• burning skin
• punching or hitting
• scratching or pinching
• poisoning
• over-eating and under-eating
• biting
• Inserting objects into your body
• overdosing
• exercising excessively
• pulling your hair
• getting into fights where you know you will get hurt.

It’s important to talk about self-harm so we can understand what it is, why people might do it, how they can do it safely and how they can access support.

It’s important to remember that self-harm is not about getting attention, people who hurt themselves frequently consider it a private thing and try to hide their behaviours.  It’s also not necessarily about suicide, even though some people who self-harm feel suicidal, many use self-harm to feel alive.
 

How to support someone

Use Self-harm and Self-injury Awareness Day to check up on a friend who might be struggling. Remind them that you are there for them. Sometimes, people can feel alone even when they are surrounded by friends.

It can be hard to know how to react if someone you know is self-harming, here is some advice on what to do:

Don’t Panic – learning that someone you care about is self-harming can be difficult, and may make you feel upset, confused or even angry. Don’t panic if you’re not sure how to react, often simply just being there is enough.

Listen – you may be worried about what to say, but you don’t need to say anything.  Just be there to listen.  Try not to jump to conclusions or make any immediate decisions. Allow the other person to speak without interrupting and without judgement. Self-harm may feel like the only way to express very strong and deep-rooted emotions for them. If someone opens-up to you this can be a huge breakthrough.

Help them find support – when they are ready, help them find out about support services available to them. You may also support your loved one to make an appointment and offer to accompany them.  There are organisations available to help, details of which can be found in the support section below.

Offer long term support – some people self-harm for years as a way of dealing with difficult emotions or situations. So don’t expect a quick recovery. Most people don’t want to be defined by their self-harm, so don’t change how you behalf towards them.

Supporting someone can be extremely difficult emotionally, you may feel overwhelmed or out of your depth. To try and reduce these feelings, it’s important to set boundaries and have support for yourself.  Be honest about how you’re feeling. If you’re feeling upset or struggling to cope, talk to someone.

Getting support for yourself

If you’ve been self-harming and you want to stop, there is help available for you. It’s important that you go at a pace that you’re comfortable with. To start your recovery:

Talk to a friend or family – try telling someone that you trust about your self-injuring.  The support of others is vital when you’re recovering.  They could even attend appointments with you whilst you’re getting help from healthcare professionals.

See your GP – if you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone you know, you may prefer to talk to a professional, like your GP. They can arrange for you to see a mental health professional for talking therapy, like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or prescribe medication.

If you are struggling and feel that you have no one to turn to, remember there are many organisations available to help you.  These can be found in the support section at the end of this guide. 

Ways of coping

Taking steps towards recovery may feel difficult, but with the right support recovery is possible.  There are many different things that you can do to cope.  Here are some strategies:

Distraction strategies:

• Distraction box – prepare a ‘distraction box’ containing things that help you cope with difficult urges. This could include old photos of happy times, crosswords or colouring books, scents, or herbal teas.
• Time – try the 10 mins rule, if you feel like you want to self-harm, try to postpone this for 10 mins. For many self-harm happens when emotions are intense, so after 10 mins the intensity may have reduced.
• Alternatives – try other options to self-harm, things like:
• Write down your feelings on some paper and rip it up.
• Draw on yourself in pen. Visually this may help relieve your urge without cutting.
• Put elastic bands on your wrists or ankles and flick them instead of self-harming.
• Hit something soft, like a pillow or cushion.
• Play loud music or sing/shout.
• Take a bath.
• Squeeze a piece of ice in your hand.
• Keep busy, try cleaning, tidying, or gardening.
• Use breathing techniques, like box breathing.

Self-help coping strategies:

• Diary – keep a diary to express how you are feeling. This will also be helpful to monitor patterns, thoughts, and feelings.
• Pets – our pets give us unconditionally love and are great companions in difficult times. Being around animals is also proven to release endorphins, which can improve your mood.
• Exercise – physical exercise can help channel urges away from self-harming, this could involve a run, walk, or cycle ride.
• Mindfulness – try mindfulness techniques, concentrating on your surroundings. Mind have a lot of useful mindfulness techniques and tips here.
• Self-care – choose self-care over self-harm. It is important that you are kind to yourself.  This may involve applying your favourite body lotion to the area of your body you might usually harm.  You could also try using essential oils.  Ensuring we have the correct nutrition, get enough sleep, and regularly exercise, will look after both your physical and mental health, which is why self-care is critical.  Self-care isn’t selfish – it’s essential.

Coping techniques and strategies will be different for everyone, if one doesn’t work, then try a different one.

Support and help available

NHS

Samaritans

Young minds

Papyrus

Harmless

Mind

Alumina

Mental Health Foundation

Heads above the Waves

Self Injury Support Org

Calm Harm

Hub of Hope

Police Mutual Services

Our Care Line Service provided by Health Assured can offer advice and information, helping with a range of concerns including emotional support. Download the My Healthy Advantage App and register today – your code is MHA107477.

We’ve teamed up with PayPlan*, one of the UK’s leading free debt advice providers, who offer free and confidential advice to anyone in serious financial difficulties.

They’re able to advise you on a range of debt solutions suited to your individual circumstances, helping to protect you and your family with a sustainable way to manage your debt.

Get free and confidential help to combat your debt, call PayPlan* on 0800 197 8433.

To read more of our wellbeing guides take a look at our Wellbeing Hub here.

*PayPlan is a trading name of Totemic Limited. Totemic Limited is a limited company registered in England, Company Number: 2789854. Registered Office: Kempton House, Dysart Road, PO Box 9562, Grantham, NG31 0EA. Totemic Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Conduct Authority Number: 681263

Want to learn more? Access our wellbeing hub here.

This article was published on Tue 20 Feb 2024. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us

Quit smoking this National No Smoking Day

National No Smoking Day is observed every year on the second Wednesday of March, to encourage people over the world to quit smoking. No Smoking Day 2024 is on March 13^th, but you can quit smoking on any day of the year. The main purpose of this day is to spread awareness about the harmful health effects of tobacco consumption through cigarette and other modes.

Many people who quit smoking are surprised by how good they feel.

They feel more relaxed, have more money, they look and feel better, their skin looks healthier, and they have more energy when they do something active like going for a walk or playing with their children, they no longer smell of smoke and they are not as worried about their health.

When you stop smoking, your lungs will start to repair, and you’ll start to be able to breathe easier. The sooner you quit, the sooner you’ll notice the positive changes to your body and health.

Some of the benefits will be felt almost immediately and in the long term the benefits will be lifesaving:

• After a day – Your oxygen levels will recover, and the harmful carbon monoxide level in your blood will reduce by half.
• After 2 days – Nicotine will be totally eliminated from the body and your senses of taste and smell will improve.
• After 3 days – Your breathing will become easier as the airways begin to relax. Your energy levels will also increase.
• After 2 to 4 weeks – Blood will pump through to your heart and muscles much better because your circulation will improve, meaning you can walk and run easier.
• After 3 to 9 months – Your lung function will improve by up to 10 %, meaning any coughs, wheezing or breathing problems you have will improve.
• After 1 to 3 years – Your risk of having a heart attack will have halved compared to a smoker’s.
• After 10 years – Your risk of death from lung cancer will have halved compared with a smoker’s.

You will also save money. The average smoker can save around £2000 (depending on how much you smoke) a year by not smoking. To calculate how much you could save click here.

Tips for stopping smoking

1. List your reasons to quit and when you are struggling and feel like you need to smoke, read through the reasons.
2. Tell people you’re quitting; your friends and family can then support you.
3. Use stop smoking aids, like nicotine patches and gum.
4. Have a plan if you are tempted to smoke; this should include someone you can talk to for support.
5. List your smoking triggers and how to try and avoid them.
6. Keep busy to help reduce the cravings.
7. Regularly exercise, as studies show that exercise reduces the urge to smoke, it also strengthens your heart and lungs.
8. If you have tried to quit before, remember what worked and learn from what didn’t.
9. Use support groups for help and advice.

Try using the free NHS Stoptober App, click here for more details. It’s never too late to quit.

Switching from smoking to vaping

Studies so far show that vaping is far less harmful than smoking. So, your health could benefit from switching. You will need to stop using tobacco completely to get the full benefits.

Vaping or using e-cigarettes could help you stop smoking and are a popular stop smoking tool. Giving you the nicotine needed to help beat your cravings. Vaping can also feel similar to smoking, like holding a cigarette and breathing in.

Switching from cigarettes to vaping may also save you money.

Vaping is not risk-free. Their long-term effects are still unknown, so people who have never smoked shouldn’t use them.

Further help and advice:

Quit

NHS

Want to learn more? Access our wellbeing hub here.

This article was published on Tue 20 Feb 2024. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us

Money worries are not just a financial problem they can cause relationships problems, people to lose homes and families to break down. People from all walks of life can end up in debt for many different reasons including divorce, redundancy, ill health, and bereavement. It’s not always easy to talk about money worries but if you’re struggling financially, it’s important to take action and this debt awareness week is an ideal time to do this.

Debt awareness week was first launched in 2014 by the debt advice charity StepChange. If you’re worrying about money, there are things that you can do to get your finances back on track.

For help on how to spend less click here to read our guide.

Below are some tips on how to improve your financial wellbeing:

• Take stock – where do you owe money and what are the interest rates.
• Work out your budget – what money do you have coming in, what do you need to pay for and what’s left for paying off debt. Use our budget calculator here to help you manage your money. Set yourself a daily spend limit based on how much disposable cash you have each month.
• If you’re looking to make savings – check that you’re not overpaying for your bills and utilities, where can you make savings, for more information use the link here.
• Set up a separate bill account – transfer an amount each month to cover the cost of all your household bills. This will give you greater control over your finances and you ensure you do not make late payments.
• Set yourself saving goals – saving regularly could provide you with a financial buffer for any unexpected bills or be used to save for short term purchases or long-term aspirations.
• Check your bank balance – regularly, so there are no nasty surprises.
• Review your mortgage – to see if you can reduce your monthly outgoings, check with your provider or an independent mortgage advisor.
• Review your insurance – Why not see if you could save money by changing your home or car insurance provider.
• Check your credit score – using one of the various companies available online including Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. For more details on the impact of your credit profile click here to read our guide.

Understanding your debts and how much you’re paying back is important. No debt problems are unsolvable and the earlier you deal with them the easier they are to deal with.

Be aware of how you spend your money

Stick to the golden rule of borrowing: don’t go into debt for something that will last for less time than the amount borrowed takes to pay back.

Impact of debt on your mental health

Worrying about money can negatively affect your mental health and for those people experiencing mental health problems it can make it harder for them to manage their finances. According to the Money and Health Policy Institute report ‘a silent killer’ problem debt can also be linked to suicide.

It’s important to start talking about money worries before your situation gets worse. Talking about money will give you the confidence to get help and find out who can best advise you on any problems.

It can give you a great sense of relief to share your problems, so you’re not facing them alone. It’s important to seek professional advice as soon as possible and not wait until it’s more difficult to find a solution.

Do I have a debt problem?

✔ I find myself using my credit card for essential purchases, like food and bills and the card balance is not cleared at the end of the month

✔ I’m constantly worried about managing my money

✔ I’m behind on my mortgage and can’t catch back up

✔ I am struggling to manage even the minimum payments on my credit card

✔ I’m being contacted about unpaid bills or missed payments

✔ I’m relying on quick fix short-term loans

✔ I’m borrowing from friends or family.

Getting help

If you would like to talk to someone about debt, the following organisations are there for you:

We’ve teamed up with PayPlan*, one of the UK’s leading free debt advice providers, who offer free and confidential advice to anyone in serious financial difficulties.

They’re able to advise you on a range of debt solutions suited to your individual circumstances, helping to protect you and your family with a sustainable way to manage your debt.

Get free and confidential help to combat your debt, call PayPlan* on 0800 197 8433. If you don’t want to talk on the phone, it is also possible to email them.

StepChange is a debt advice charity providing full debt help service across the UK. Online support is also available.

Citizens Advice provide a full debt and consumer advice service, many bureaux have specialist caseworks to deal with any type of debt.

National Debtline is a charity that provides free and independent debt advice. It also has resources to help people deal with their debts. Advice is available over the phone, online and via webchat.

*PayPlan is a trading name of Totemic Limited. Totemic Limited is a limited company registered in England, Company Number: 2789854. Registered Office: Kempton House, Dysart Road, PO Box 9562, Grantham, NG31 0EA. Totemic Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Conduct Authority Number: 681263

Want to learn more? Access our wellbeing hub here.