Stress is the way a person feels when they feel there is too much pressure to cope with.

A little bit of pressure can be positive, productive and motivating, but too much pressure can lead to negative stress and this can be harmful to health. When we talk about stress we are usually referring to negative stress and this can be unhealthy for the mind and body. Everyone reacts differently to stress and different people can cope with different levels of stress. In many cases, too much stress often leads to physical, mental and emotional problems. 

Working in social care can be stressful as you are often supporting people with serious challenges in their lives. The individuals you support can also become stressed and you have a duty of care to support them.

The way we behave is shaped by a range of factors, including personality and past experience as well as current circumstances and the people around us. All of these things influence a person’s resilience. 

Some people may have qualities that make them more resilient than others. Resilience is best defined in terms of behaviour and support.  Behaviours can be learned and support put in place.  This means there is a lot that can be done to help people become more resilient.

Take a moment to think about how you are feeling and have been behaving recently. Have you experienced any of the following? Tick the boxes if you have.

• Being twitchy or jumpy
• Mood swings
• Being withdrawn or unusually quiet
• Loss of motivation
• Lack of confidence
• Not joining in or committing to things
• Increased emotional reactions – being more tearful, aggressive or sensitive
• Feeling negative
• Being indecisive
• Feeling isolated
• Feeling nervous
• Unable to concentrate
• Eating more or less than usual
• Smoking, drinking or taking drugs to cope
• Having difficulty sleeping

How many did you tick? It’s normal to experience some of these occasionally. But if you continue to experience them or ticked a lot of them then this could be a sign you have Chronic Stress. Don’t worry though, everyone gets stressed at some point in their lives.

As you can see, there are many signs and indicators of stress.

You should be aware of these and how you may be affected. Likewise, you may recognise some of these symptoms in your colleagues or the people you support and you can support them and report your concerns to your manager.