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Keeping You Informed
Coping Skills and Strategies
Wellness – Coping Skills and Strategies Article Written and Researched by Octavia Bettis
We at Surestaff care about the emotional wellbeing of our clients and employees, especially during these uncertain times. The ever-looming threat of Covid over our heads and the constant changes can take a toll on a person’s mental health. We at Surestaff are mindful of that. Due to the times we live in it can become eerily easy to fall into unhealthy coping mechanisms. Some of you may be wondering, what are coping mechanisms?
Coping mechanisms are techniques people use to manage difficult emotions. You probably already use certain coping mechanisms; you just might not be aware of it. The main difference between healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms is that healthy coping mechanisms improve your situation while unhealthy mechanisms don’t improve the situation or can even make it worse.
Remember that positive coping mechanisms: • Bring you joy • Benefit you on all levels • Are practical and adaptable • Are learnable • Should be varied and individualized Examples of Healthy Coping Mechanisms Here are some strategies you can try. Some of these may work and others might not. Try a variety so you can find the ones that work best for you and your needs: • Deep breathing • Exercise • Looking after a plant • Meditation • Journaling • Watching a movie/TV show • Reading • Mindfulness • Trying a new hobby • Sleeping and eating well • Drawing/colouring/sketching • Talking to someone • Cooking • Repeating positive affirmations • Challenging negative thoughts • Engaging the five senses • Taking a shower/bath • Listening to music • Doing brain teasers/crossword puzzles • Cleaning/organizing
A helpful analogy is to think of coping mechanisms as a toolbox filled with plenty of strategies for different circumstances. In times of distress, try to visualize looking through your own toolbox to find the right coping mechanism. Identify: What are things that bring me joy and comfort? Practice: Engage in the activity/skill to become comfortable with it. Implement: Use the skill in times of need. Evaluate: How successful was I in utilizing this skill? Was it easy/natural to use? Did it decrease the undesired emotion? Did I like the outcome? Adapt: Make small or large changes to the skill; keep adding to your toolbox.
Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms Some individuals have trouble regulating their emotions. They may act out or engage in harmful behaviours to self-soothe. This can be made even worse by an underlying mental health condition. Here are some negative coping mechanisms to watch for in yourself: • Verbal or physical aggression • Self-harm (cutting, scratching, burning, etc.) • Withdrawing from friends and family • Loss of appetite or overeating • Excessive screen time • Drug or alcohol abuse • Avoidance of problems/denial of emotions.
If you’re using negative coping strategies and you are having trouble replacing the unhealthy behaviours with healthier ones, it may be time to try talking to your GP. They will be able to spot and identify if there are any larger underlying issues at play and be able to refer you to the appropriate services.
Top Tips for Interview
Now that we have finished our CV series, its important to know how to properly prepare for an interview. Here are some important tips! Tip one, always research the company beforehand. Make yourself familiar with the purpose and values of the company, this will demonstrate to the employer that you care about the position and are willing to go above and beyond for the role.
Ready to submit your CV?
It can be very easy to tell yourself that you’ve completely finished your CV just because you’ve written it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean its fit to show an employer or that its even finished. Be sure to thoroughly comb through your CV, checking for spelling and grammatical errors, making sure the entire document is in the same font and size, ensuring that the details you have put down are correct and that you haven’t missed anything crucial out.
Being Keen is Key
Employers are often overwhelmed by the number of applicants for any given job; this presents the struggle to stand out (in a good way) to any applicant looking for work. Luckily there is a simple way of countering this; being keen. Demonstrating to your potential employer that you are passionate about the sector you are applying for and know a lot about it already will make you memorable to the employer while also demonstrating the amount of research you have done on this company before writing your CV.
CV Employment History
When writing a new CV, it can feel very awkward arranging your Employment History. Don’t worry we at SureStaff are here to help. Here are four vital tips for rewriting your Employment History.
CV with Little Work Experience
Writing your CV when you’ve only worked at one place before can be daunting and intimidating for anyone. Whether you’ve worked at a factory for 30 years, or if you’ve just left your first job ever at your local chip shop, we’re here to help. Part of selling yourself to a new employer is taking a moment to examine the new company and think about what they want and how that relates to you personally as well as the existing experience you already have.
Importance of Sleep
The temptation to stay awake long past the late hours, browsing various internet forums and watching cat videos is stronger than ever before with algorithms specifically designed to keep us scrolling. So how do we resist and prioritize our health and our working lives? This is a modern problem that requires a modern solution.
Service Update
Coronavirus restrictions have been lifted with the UK, however, our priority continues to be the well-being of our employees, candidates and partners, and we are committed to ensuring that our recruitment services operate as usual but in the safest possible way. We would like to reassure both job seekers and employers that we are implementing processes and procedures to minimise the risks for everyone.
We are now delivering our services at full capacity with health and safety at the forefront of our minds. Therefore, feel free to come into our offices, where possible please ring ahead of time to ensure that a member of staff is on site to assist you. There are hand sanitisers available within our offices and we can offer a service with social distancing still in place.
Office Move
SureStaff have recently relocated to new offices at The Plough Business Centre in Gainsborough. The former pub on Church Street underwent a £350,000 makeover several years back, attracting a range of new businesses to the premises, including ourselves. With private car parking, cycle parking, conference rooms, the latest IT infrastructure and a patio terrace area for informal meetings, our new base is easy to find near Gainsborough town centre, adjacent to Parish Church and a just a few minutes walk from Marshalls Yard. We look forward to working in our new surroundings and hope to see you soon.
