Post on 05-Jul-2020
Tactics for maintaining Mental Fitness during the
COVID-19 Pandemic:
Understanding Stress
Dr. Bill Howatt
President, Howatt HR
Chief Research Workforce Productivity,
Conference Board of Canada
Jesse Adams, MSc
Chief Learning Officer, Howatt HR
Agenda
1 Refresher: Charging our Battery
2 Micro-skill of the Day: Understanding Stress
3 Actions for today
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1 Refresher: Charging our Battery
2 Micro-skill of the Day: Understanding Stress
3 Actions for today
Recall, we are like batteries and each day we may start
at a different level of charge
4
Charged
Charging
Half-full
Drained
Empty
=
Resilience is built through joint responsibility
5
Feel safe
Trust in direct manager
Sense of pride in work
Feelings of appreciation
Positive peer interactions
Positive customerinteractions
Absent of workplace conflict
Clear role
Understand priorities
Managingworkload
Employee ActionsEmployer Actions +
Job satisfaction
Mental fitness
Physical activity
Nutrition
Passion
Sleep
Social connections
Relaxation
Lifestyle choices
Work-life blending
Maintaining Mental Fitness: Micro-skills
• Micro-skills are small behaviours or
cognitive skills you can add to your life to
support mental fitness
• They are skills that can be applied to all
areas of your life:
– Physical
– Mental health
– Personal life
– Work experience
Understanding
Stress
Social Connection
Coping with
Grief
Insulating
for Anxiety
Supporting
others
Work-life
Blending
Leading your
team
Laura’s Mental Fitness Plan
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Mental Fitness Physical Health Social Connection
Daily
• “Travel Journal”
• Reading (Fiction)
• Cooking
• Running
• Meal and sleep routine
• Yard work
• Family yoga
• Team check-ins
• Facetime w/ friends
When needed
• Take a break: walk to the
waterfront
• Teletherapy w/ physiotherapist • Virtual games night with friends
1 Refresher: Charging our Battery
2 Micro-skill of the Day: Understanding Stress
3 Actions for today
Mental health and stress
• Stress is something that is ingrained into our day-to-day lives
• Stress is defined as “any uncomfortable emotional experience accompanied by predictable
biochemical, physiological and
behavioural changes”
9http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/understanding-chronic-stress.aspx
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Depression Eustress Anxiety
Stress severity and duration scale
Pe
rfo
rman
ce
Peak performance
Distress, resulting in hyperarousal
Distress,resulting in hypoarousal
Stress is not all bad.
It is when it moves from eustress to distress.
Daily stress load defines risk for mental health driven by
psychosocial stress
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High Risk • Distress can predict Mental Health Risk
• Consequence and impact on home and work are evident
• Experience symptoms of stress physically and/or mentally
• Intense bursts of feeling overwhelmed
• Worry more about failing or experience stressful thinking
• Challenged
• Motivated
Low Risk
• Eustress can support life fulfillment and happiness
0 - low stress
100 -
maximum
tolerance
Frequency
Duration
Intensity (FDI)
How our brain reacts to stress
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ACC
2. Caveman
brain
1. Logical
brain
What happens if we are in Eustress vs. Distress?
Increase in
attention to detail
Excessive worrying
Increased
focus
Increase in
problem solving
Increased emotional
response
Memory
loss
Feeling
Lonely
Loss of
Purpose
Increase in physiological
response
Decreased
emotional response
Increased
Resilience
Increased sensitivity
to stimulus
DistressEustressIncreased
procrastination
?
Coping risk continuum: where do you spend most of your time
coping with stress?
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At-Risk
Coping
Positive
coping
Drug Use
Alcohol Use
Isolate
Food
Work
Social Connection
Support
Problem Solving
Healthy Habits
OK
1 Refresher: Charging our Battery
2 Micro-skill of the Day: Understanding Stress
3 Actions for today
What do you use to cope with stress?
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Tobacco
Technology
Sleep
Isolation
Alcohol Gratitude
Professional
Support
Social
connection
Exercise
Food
Compulsive
Shopping
Ignoring the issue
Work
Healthier Coping
skills
Riskier Coping
skills
ZZ
Z
Gardening
Drug use
Pets
Reflection for today
• What do you do when you are feeling over stressed?
• What are of your healthy coping methods and what are some of your unhealthy methods?
• Share your reflection on social media using the hashtag:
– #MYMF
– #MYMFPLAN
– #MFSTRONG
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Next Weeks Webinar
• When: Tuesday April 21, 2020
• What time: 12 pm est
• How to find it: www.maintainingmentalfitness.com
• Micro-skill: Insulating for Anxiety