Modern life can be challenging and, at times, stressful. Young people are struggling to get on the property ladder while the so-called ‘sandwich generation’ has to juggle supporting both children and elderly relatives. It’s no surprise that the difficulties of balancing workplace demands and personal lives is becoming an increasing problem.

Changing demographics and demanding jobs are contributing to a vicious cycle, which starts with a gradual build-up of stress and sleepless nights, leading to underperformance at work, absence, and ultimately, long-term sick leave.

A recent report titled ‘Breaking the Cycle‘ highlights the potent combination of both professional and personal stress, revealing that one in four employees have taken time off work due to stress in the last year – a figure being described as an employee ‘stress time bomb’.

The main problem is that triggers initiating this downward spiral are often hidden, neither talked about nor confronted. Worryingly, the report found that more than half of employees admit feeling unable to approach their employer about a stress-related issue; therefore the cycle continues unbroken, and if left un-addressed can lead to significant mental health problems.

So if you do have a problem, or you’re worried about stress, how do you approach your employer? Here are my top five tips for you to consider.

Break the silence

Your voice matters and communication is the best building block you can use to eradicate the stigma attached to mental health in the workplace. ‘Breaking the cycle’ will rely on both employees and employers breaking the silence, and opening the lines of communication.

How and when to do it

Think about creating an environment where you feel comfortable. You might prefer to organise a meeting to ensure you have your manager’s undivided attention in a private setting. Perhaps an early morning meeting, before the office gets busy and your boss or line manager gets sidetracked with other matters. Let them know you wish to speak about a significant issue, so they can ensure they have uninterrupted time with you.

How much and what kind of information you will share

Have a clear plan and write down the points you wish to discuss as this can help order your thoughts and ensure nothing is missed. How much you’d like say is entirely down to you but if you want your employer to help, try be as honest and open as possible. Most employers want to help but they can only get involved if you let them, so the kind of information you tell them is key.

If you don’t ask you don’t get

Intervention could be as simple as receiving additional support from your line manager, but you won’t always know what help is available unless you ask.

Who should you speak to?

Think carefully about who you trust in your organisation and who is best placed to help you. This could be your line manager, HR representative or another colleague.

Agree a plan of any changes with your manager, and take the necessary time to discuss progress and review how things have improved. Try to take small manageable steps rather than making sweeping changes in one go. Most importantly, commit to getting better, with your employer’s support.

And remember:

It’s in both your interests. Good people are hard to find and what employers don’t need is a previously hard working and conscientious employee sliding into low productivity and potentially long-term sick leave.

One in three people have experienced mental health problems at work, so you are not alone and there is every chance that your employer has dealt with similar situations before.

You have rights. Every organisation has legal duties under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments and not discriminate in recruiting, retaining or promoting staff.

This article was originally posted on huffingtonpost.co.uk by Dr. Philip McCrea.

Staying fit and healthy at work – mentally, physically and emotionally is incredibly important, especially as we return to work in the New Year, reenergised, refreshed and ready for the next challenge.

As a business leader, I take the responsibility of keeping good levels of staff wellbeing seriously. The benefits of doing so are clear and simple – increased productivity, creativity and willingness to collaborate.

Nurturing wellbeing is good for an organisation’s long-term value – it leads to lower attrition, absenteeism, attracts new recruits and has a positive impact on overall company growth and goals and GDP.

Health and wellbeing can be boosted in many ways, use these tricks to motivate your team this year and see a big difference:

1) Reward to reinforce

Incentivising your team to take you up on perks might sound odd, but there’s no denying you mean business if you enhance the benefits.

If you offer free or discounted gym membership, for example, its unlikely regular users will take any considerable sick leave, so why not reward the most active with an extra day’s holiday?

Or if you’re happy to fund further education to gain some value skills within the team, you could offer paid-for development days and flexible working to support ambitions.

2) Respect rest

Working more is often wrongly associated with working harder, but if you don’t ensure your team take time out to unwind, you risk burnout and resentment, so put a stop to overtime, lunches at desks and reluctant holiday-goers.

You’ll need to lead by example, and show your team that, whether they’re off for two weeks in the sun or a sabbatical, things won’t fall apart while they’re gone, but equally that there’s a place for them to come back to.

3) Engage and involve

You’ve gathered your team together for a reason – each person has brought talent, knowledge and unique insights to the table – so make sure you take advantage of this and ask them for their opinion on company decisions, or ideas that could help propel the business forward.

The more entrepreneurial and empowered your team feels, the more pride they’ll take in their own work as well as the direction of the firm.

Remember to share successes too – if you win a big new contract or are up for an award, make sure recognition goes beyond your senior management team. At the end of the day, managers are only as good as the people they lead.

4) Champion community action

Volunteering is a wonderful thing for an office to embrace – when people are passionate for causes outside of work, it nurtures a sense of collaboration and dedication, so if you don’t already have a policy for paid-for volunteer leave, make sure you introduce one and push people to use it.

If people are stumped for ideas, why not shape team outings around getting involved in the local community? Organising activities such as fun runs and planting trees is great way of adding a new dynamic to office life.

It’s all too easy sometimes to get caught up in growth, deliverables and client demands, but we have to remember to take a step back and think about the human cost. It’s a strength to enable people to put their wellbeing first, and you’ll ultimately be rewarded with a more stable, stronger business if you recognise and support the individuals providing the backbone of your operations.

This article was originally posted on huffingtonpost.co.uk by Debra Charles.

Mental health, if not addressed, can have debilitating side effects—some of which may be detrimental to your business.

When people talk about entrepreneurship, most of the discussions revolve around the sense of fulfillment or satisfaction they get from building something out of nothing. While this may be true, there’s another side to going into business for yourself: the price you pay.

That “price” is a psychological one. According to a recent survey, 30 percent of the entrepreneurs participating reported a lifetime history of depression. Another 29 percent said they were dealing with ADHD; 27 percent revealed feelings of anxiety.

Mental health issues, if not addressed, can have debilitating side effects — some of which may be detrimental to the business itself. Take anxiety, for example. When you’re dealing with a choice, the anxiety involved may cause you to overestimate or underestimate the outcome of your selection.

Depression can have a similar effect on decision-making; it can lead to a more pessimistic point of view, one that renders you unable to use the information available to make the best decision.

What’s more, feelings of apathy can lead to a lack of self-confidence, causing you to feel less valuable or validated by your work. Your employees don’t just expect a salary from you; they want a reliable leader and exemplary role model to learn from and follow.

It’s hard to give anything your all if you’re not healthy — mentally and physically.

Taking Stock of Stress

Eighteen percent of employed respondents to the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey, a study of 15- to 54-year-old Americans, said they had felt some sort of symptom of a mental health disorder within a month of the survey. Although the signs that stress is affecting mental health vary from person to person, there are a few things to look out for — one of which is your temperament.

How do you react to unexpected news? If you’re quick to be moody, become angered or become irritated, there could be cause for concern.

The same is true for constructive criticism. You may normally be receptive to this type of input. But what if, of late, you’ve been unable to accept it, or you find yourself arguing over seemingly negative comments? That may be a sign you’re under too much stress and it’s now affecting your mental health.

You may also find yourself changing your mind with greater frequency or have an increasing level of difficulty making decisions — so much so that you start to neglect your responsibilities or drag your feet when faced with a choice.

Other signs can include a newfound paranoia about others around you (including trusted partners and investors), resistance to establishing relationships and enough oversensitivity to others’ opinions that it clouds your business and managerial decisions.

Shouldering the Load

Managing your workload is often the first order of business. But this is easier said than done for many entrepreneurs, and you might want to try the following to help:

1. CLASSIFY YOUR WORKLOAD. A CareerCast survey labeled unpredictability and deadlines as No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, on its list of the biggest contributors to work-related stress. Both issues can play a big part in an employees’ daily capacity.

Your workload will generally fall into one of two categories: physically loaded or psychologically loaded. Make the latter a priority. The more psychologically loaded work you do, the stronger you’ll get — no matter whether this work is successful or not. Increased amounts of this kind of work build a solid mental base and help you gain perspective on how to prioritize tasks during hectic or tenuous periods.

Steven Handmaker, chief marketing officer of independent insurance broker Assurance, noticed that his employees were struggling to manage their workloads and were bogged down with too many meetings, emails and interruptions.

After Handmaker spoke with a consultant, he had his Assurance employees block out a certain number of hours each week for priority-work time. Employees subsequently reported being happier, and Assurance subsequently received positive recognition from Fortune, the Chicago Tribune and other publications.

2. AVOID COMPARISONS WITH OTHERS. Thinking you’re the only person who can’t handle a large amount of work without feeling pressure is a recipe for disaster. CareerCast tabbed workplace environment — including interactions with colleagues, bosses and customers — the second-biggest reason for employee stress.

Facebook, like a number of companies, is a competitive, sometimes stressful work environment. To combat those tensions, the company uses an open office space to cultivate flat organizational structure while inspiring creativity and ambition without the stress of employees being right on top of one another.

Constant, immediate comparisons to your co-workers can only complicate those relationships. Although each one of us has the same autonomic stress system, what makes any one of us feel anxious won’t be the same as what affects even our closest colleagues.

3. RESPECT THE TIME AVAILABLE. Time moves at the same pace for everyone. Use it wisely, and understand that it’s better not to procrastinate on a task just because you feel that you’ll handle the rest of your work without pressure or stress.

Instead of fixating on tasks and checking off each subsequent box, take time to reflect on the value of your work over your lifetime. Look at the impact your work is having on those around you — or even the community at large.

Meditation can help with work stress. Companies, including Google, Nike and Yahoo, encourage meditation among their employees. It’s a great way to reduce tension and provide the mental reprieve necessary for employees to be productive and take better stock of work-related responsibilities.

Entrepreneurship can take its toll, and feelings of anxiousness, depression or stress aren’t signs of weakness. That’s just how your body and mind are responding to a particular stimulus. As long as you know the signs, you’ll be better equipped to maneuver the daily comings and goings of worklife.

This article was curated from entrepreneur.com.

So what is an EAP? It’s support and guidance, it’s a sympathetic ear; specifically, it’s your employee assistance program, and it’s a way to access short term counseling to improve the quality of your life on and off the job; and, it’s free and confidential.

So how does EAP work?

Simple. You call the toll-free number 24/7 any day of the year; a friendly experienced licensed counselor answers, and together you figure out how to approach whatever concerns you. You may only need one call or you might decide to go for further counseling; or, the counselor may help you find services in your community or through your medical insurance. It all depends on what you want what you need. EAP can help with legal and financial issues, too; starting with a free 30-minute consultation with lawyers and financial experts.

Now you may be thinking, “Okay, but really what can the EAP do for me?” Well, you might have concerns about parenting, relationships, finances, depression and anxiety, problems with a coworker, your teen’s college education, or anything else that’s on your mind. And here’s the thing, your EAP can help with all these concerns and dozens more.

Usually, we can handle life’s challenges on our own, but occasionally personal problems can overwhelm us and interfere with our daily life. An Employee Assistance Program or EAP is a benefit fully paid by your employer to help you find resources to resolve problems and improve your quality of life.

The short video below is an orientation to give you a better understanding about EAP and how to use the free Employee Assistance Program that your employer has set up for you and your dependents.

EAP Benefits

Employee Assistance Programs offer free services and resources for virtually every problem you may encounter; your EAP will continue to help you until your problems are resolved. Counseling services cover a wide range of issues including:

• Stress, anxiety, depression, grief, or other emotional problems
• Addiction and substance abuse
• Difficult life decisions and everyday challenges
• Family and parenting issues
• Special needs children and adoption
• Divorce and child custody
• Caring for an elderly loved one
• Debt counseling and financial management

For more information read EAP Benefits.

Ever wish you had a little help dealing with life’s challenges? You do! You have this great benefit that offers access to counselors and experts who have one job … making your life easier. All your actions with them are completely free and confidential; this benefit is your employee assistance work-life programs, though your organization may call it by different name.

So how does it work?

It’s simple: first you contact us; you can discuss whatever is on your mind with a knowledgeable, sympathetic, helpful person, and they’ll tell you how we can help. Need to find care for your elderly mother? An adult care specialist will do the research for you and provide you with with referrals and educational materials. Feeling stressed or overloaded? A counselor will be glad to help you. Planning a vacation? A convenient services specialist can find you the best flight, a list of fun things to do, even tickets to the big game! We can help you deal with concerns about your relationships, finances, parenting, problems with a coworker, or your child’s college education; we can help you find a dog walker, housekeeper, supermarket, a dry cleaner that delivers in your neighborhood, a party planner, or a gym that has the classes you want; we can find an accredited child care center in your neighborhood or plumber for that leaky faucet. These are just examples; maybe your situation is a hundred percent different. No problem. We’re here to help you in the ways that you want and need.

Employee Assistance Programs increase productivity and employee satisfaction by taking care of employees, their families, and your company. EAPs are shown to resolve up to 70% of modern issues. Watch this video to learn more about EAPs and how they support a more productive and happier workplace.

Advantages of EAP

What if you cut absenteeism by 59 percent? What if you had 21 percent fewer workers comp claims? What if turnover was cut by 35 percent? You’d see sixty-two percent higher productivity and a number of happier faces around the office.

With an employee assistance program you can take care of your employees, their families, and your company at the same time. Help is as close as the telephone, available for issues like stress, marriage, finance, legal issues, and more. Calls are confidential and employees pay nothing.

How Employee Issues Affect the Workplace

Take depression, it affects nineteen million Americans each year; that’s nearly 10 percent of us. Then there are legal and financial issues which half of us face each year. Stress of course, is a word we all know too well; stressed-out employees are three times more likely to consider quitting their jobs. Let’s not forget all the other demands on us like caregiving and personal issues such as problems with marriage. Employee assistance programs can resolve up to seventy percent of our modern problems, and most employees will tell you that your help means a lot to them. Employee assistance programs for your employees, for your company.

Employee Assistance Programs offer counseling, help, tools, and resources to employees and their family members to address a wide range of problems and issues including:

• Adoption
• Aging Issues and Elder Care
• Alcohol and Substance Abuse
• Balancing Work and Family
• Cancer, Diabetes, and Other Illnesses
• Child Care and Daycare
• Children with Special Needs
• Consumer Problems and Rights
• Debt and Debt Restructuring
• Eating Disorders
• Education and Tuition Planning
• Estate Planning, Probate, and Wills
• Family Violence
• Financial Planning
• Fitness Programs
• Gambling Addiction
• Health and Wellness
• Health Risk Assessments
• Homeownership and Mortgages
• Interpersonal Skills with Family and Co-workers
• Legal Issues and Family Law
• Loss and Grief
• Mental and Behavioral Health Issues
• Nutrition Counseling
• Personal Development and Training
• Real Estate and Tenant/Landlord Concerns
• Retirement and College Savings Planning
• Separation or Divorce
• Smoking Cessation
• Stress and Coping with Change
• Taxes and the IRS
• Traffic Violations
• Weight Loss
• Wellness
• Wills and other Legal Issues
• Women’s and Men’s Health

Your Employee Assistance Program offers a full range of free services and problem solving tools to you and your covered family members. Help is available for virtually any and every issue you may encounter; no problem is too big or too small.

What does EAP help with?

Counseling services cover a wide range of issues including stress, emotional problems, substance abuse, family and parenting issues, caregiving, finances, or simply dealing with a particularly difficult life decision. For example, if you are a caregiver for an elderly parent, an EAP can find elder care resources and support for you; if you are overwhelmed by money problems, a counselor can arrange debt counseling or other help.

While counseling is the primary focus of EAP, there are many other benefits that can helpe you deal with everyday issues and challenges. Sometimes you may simply need more information to make a good decision or solve everyday issues like finding good daycare provider or balancing your budget. Read a full list of common issues that EAP helps resolve.

Privacy and EAP

Confidentiality is the cornerstone of Employee Assistance Programs. Although EAPs are paid for by employers, EAP counselors work with employees personally and privately to help manage their circumstances and resolve their problems. EAPs simply would not work if the services were not confidential.

EAP is an opportunity for employees to quickly and easily get help with virtually any problem they are experiencing. In video below, Donald Martin, LPC, CEAP, clinical manager for the Employee Assistance Program at Optima Health, explains how EAPs can help during difficult times.

Why do companies offer EAPs?

Employers realize that happier employees makes for a more productive workplace. EAP is offered to help meet employees’ needs and address their concerns so they can be the valued employee that the company expects. Although EAPs are provided by employers, the services are completely confidential and personal for each employee.

How do you know when you need help?

If work is affecting home or home is affecting work, contact your EAP.

When you walk into work carrying problems from home such as kids acting out, relationship issues, or other family-related stress, then you can’t be the effective employee that your employer wants. Likewise, if you walk out of work at the end of the day and you can’t focus on your children, spouse, and family needs because your mind is wrapped around issues and concerns at work, then you’re not doing well at home. The goal of EAP is to achieve a work-life balance so that neither has a negative impact on the other.