Stress Awareness Week - Helping Each Other Through Challenging Times

Feeling stressed? Whether dealing with the pressures of a demanding job, or facing struggles in life that leave us worried or anxious, stress can have a huge imact on our lives. In a recent UK survey, 74% of people said stress has made them feel overwhelmed and unable to cope.

This Wednesday 3rd November is Stress Awareness Day, when we set time aside to reflect on how stress can affect us all, understand it's impact and consider ways to mitigate the damage it can do. 

In common with many businesses, many of ASL's teams still face strict lockdowns and other social restrictions relating to ongoing Covid outbreaks. This adds to the stress of our everyday lives and can be difficult to cope with when working at home for much of the time. These challenges can feel overwhelming, and that stress can eventually lead to further mental health problems.

As part of our One World initiative, we're committed to providing a safe, positive environment for our people, and to promoting health, happiness and wellbeing across our business.

Supporting Each Other

At ASL Global we're lucky to have a wonderful team of people who help and support each other through stressful times. We all try to offer support to our colleagues, letting them know they are not alone and that help is on hand! 

Recently, our Account Director in Vietnam, Nhan Nguyen, sent a 'Care Package' to all his staff who are still working from home during yet another Covid lockdown in their country. This thoughtful gift acknowledged the ongoing stressful situation and reminded his team that they have Nhan's support and friendship through these difficult times.

The package included healthy snacks, some sweet treats and a small selection of self-care products such as face-masks and beauty treatments.

Well done, Nhan, your dedication to the ASL family really lifted your team's spirits and is much appreciated by your colleagues, especially during Stress Awareness Week!

How to Avoid Stress

Of course, stress can’t be completely avoided in today's modern world, but its impact can certainly be reduced. Learning to implement creative ways to reduce stress can prove beneficial. These are no substitute for seeking medical support for serious problems, but here's a few simple ideas which we encourage for our colleagues:

• Deep Breathing Exercises. Often, the mind simply needs a timeout to get recentered and calm down. Deep Breathing is a great way to regain focus and get reenergized, even for just a couple of minutes in the middle of a workday.
• Regular Exercise. An excellent way to keep stress under control is to keep the body moving. Running, walking, cycling, swimming, or movement activities like yoga can all be incorporated into an anti-stress lifestyle.
• Reduce Caffeine. A healthier diet can be a huge stress-buster, and caffeine can contribute to creating anxiety. Limit your caffeine to one small serving a day to gain a noticeable difference in the amount of stress put on the body and the adrenal system.
• Journal or Talk About Your Feelings. One way to cope with stress is to tell a friend or therapist about difficult things in life. If you find it diffifult to chat to someone directly, try writing it down. Journaling can sometimes be just as therapeutic as a listening ear.

Discover more tips and support for coping with high levels of stress here

#stressawarenessweek #stresswarenessday #aslfamily