Stress and resilience

Some level of stress is an unavoidable part of life, particularly in the workplace, but how do we know when they have reached potentially dangerous and unacceptable levels?

Resilience is a buzzword that people love throwing around but what does it actually mean? How can we define it? If stoicism is like steel – very strong but a sudden impact can cause it to shear and shatter – perhaps resilience is more like gold – precious and strong but when faced with a sudden impact will bend and mould to match, continuing on changed in form but still intact.

Learners will walk away from this workshop with some short, practical tools that they can use during the workday to help absorb some of these unexpected impacts. We will practice a body scan to help identify some of the physical signs of overstress, a short stretching routine to highlight the benefit of moving the body for mental relief, and a mindfulness practice and breathing exercise to help bring the mind to centre and give us a break from the million thoughts sometimes running through our mind. We will also discuss the advantages of having a resilience plan sketched out in the quiet times so that it is there and ready to go in times of need.