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It is fair to say mental health awareness week hit us all a bit differently this year. For some, working from home or taking on home-schooling responsibilities has added significantly to our worries and stress. For many of us in the construction industry, the work hasn’t stopped and instead we have faced a different set of challenges.
In May, FACT delivered a toolbox talk with a twist. Building on our existing mental health awareness site talk, we explored the ways in which COVID-19 continues to impact our lives, and took a look at some resources we can all share with colleagues to help each other through this time and beyond.
Using the ‘stress bucket’ exercise from the Mental Health First Aid 2-day course, plus a myth-busting quiz, the site team worked together to visualise how the pandemic is affecting both our stress levels and our coping mechanisms.
First, we listed the factors that contribute to our stress on a ‘normal’ day, pre-COVID: money, health, work, to name a few. We then talked through our coping strategies, including exercise, socialising, heading to the pub on a Friday night etc.
For the majority of us, the volume of or ‘stress bucket’ can be relieved by turning the ‘valve’ (our ways of coping).
Using the same bucket but adjusting for COVID, we could visualise the toll that the crisis is taking. With furlough and redundancies affecting almost every family in some way, suddenly our money worries take up much more of the bucket. The health of our family becomes a bigger strain, especially for on-site teams still travelling to busy sites.
On top of this, a number of our coping mechanisms have disappeared or been restricted. A pint in the pub is off the table, the gym is closed and exercise is limited, the possibility of seeing friends ended overnight. For some, the bucket is now getting very full. Perhaps someone in your team seems a bit withdrawn today. Maybe someone else snapped at you over a seemingly small mistake. Another person might seem absolutely fine, or just more tired than usual.
The impact on each individual is unique, and of course each of us copes with stress in a different way. It is for this reason that a sense of community in the construction industry is more important than ever. By recognising this and by understanding that we all cope differently, we can give each other the support we need to make it through.
Suicide is still the biggest killer of men under 45, with the construction industry disproportionately affected. You can find a list of useful resources to use yourself, or to signpost to colleagues in the list below.
Frontline services and campaigns around the prevention of suicide, the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK and the cause of 18 deaths every day.
Helpline for women experiencing domestic violence, their family, friends, colleagues and others calling on their behalf.
0808 2000 247
NAPAC http://https//napac.org.uk/
National Association for People Abused in Childhood. They are a registered UK charity providing support and information for people abused in childhood.
The Citizens Advice service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities, equality and challenges.
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