In the modern world, unlimited access to technology puts our brains in a state of constant stimulation. Notifications, alerts, and reminders help to keep us on track, but they can make it difficult to switch off at night.  

A Gallup poll in the U.S. found that 40% of Americans get less than the recommended 7-9 sleep per night. Yet, sleep is essential to our health and optimal performance at work. 

We have looked at the science and put together some advice for your team on the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep. 

In the international bestseller, Why We Sleep, neuroscientist Matthew Walker explains how sleep can boost our intelligence, make us more attractive, and improve our moods. 

Not only is sleep an essential process to the body’s everyday functions, it can also help to ward off cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. 

Our brains use around 20 percent of the body's total energy consumption. One of the main functions of sleep is to replenish the hard-working brain circuitry. This process helps to protect us from brain-related illnesses such as dementia and mood disorders. 

The REM phase of sleep helps the brain to connect unrelated ideas, which boosts our creativity and problem-solving abilities. Think back to the time you miraculously solved a problem or completed a task with ease after a good rest. 

Sleep can also enhance learning. Our waking hours are the best time for learning something new, but the dreams we have during REM sleep improve memory consolidation. 

For this reason, we are primed for problem solving and creativity when we first wake up. While we have been asleep, our brains have been able to make new pathways and connections with the information we have taken in the previous day.  

Tips for getting a better night’s sleep

Despite the proven benefits of sleep, many people find it difficult to get a full, unbroken night’s rest. Here, we have put together some tips to help your team improve sleep hygiene, and reap the benefits of increased brain function: 

Our brains are wired to chase rewards. We feel sleepy, and we want to feel more alert, so we have a coffee and get the kick we need. This pattern of cue, routine, and reward is fundamental to human behaviour - a process that psychologists have labelled the habit loop. With knowledge of this cycle, it is possible to reprogram the most reluctant mind to repeat the desired behaviour effortlessly - including falling asleep at the same time each night. 

If you complete the same rituals before going to bed, like flossing, brushing your teeth, or reading for twenty minutes, your brain will learn that this is the time you sleep. The pattern will trigger the release of melatonin, the hormone we need to start feeling sleepy.

The Sleep Foundation states that ninety percent of people admit to using a technological device in the hour before bed. They add that “using electronic devices before bedtime can be physiologically and psychologically stimulating in ways that can adversely affect your sleep.”

Devices interfere with our body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm, and suppress the release of melatonin. This effect is due to the artificial blue light they emit.  

Avoid using any technology in the hour before bed, and allow your brain to become relaxed and ready for sleep.

Our body temperature fluctuates at night, just as it does during the day. But we sleep better when we are cool. The ideal temperature for adults is around 18.3°C. One study in 2012 found that room temperature is one of the most critical factors for achieving a quality night’s sleep. 

As we prepare to go to sleep, our body temperature also drops, so it is best to avoid high-intensity exercise before bed if you have trouble falling asleep. Keeping blinds down in your bedroom during the day can also be an effective way to prevent heat build-up. 

The circadian rhythm, or body clock, is an internal system designed to manage our feelings of sleepiness and wakefulness over 24 hours. This system is controlled by the part of the brain that responds to light. 

However, this internal rhythm can vary between people. Our sleep patterns can be divided into two main “chronotypes”: the morning larks and night owls. Approximately a third of the population are morning larks, a third are night owls, and the other third are somewhere in between. There is nothing we can do to reset our natural inclinations. 

As a result, in a 9-5 world, night owls are often more tired, less active, and more susceptible to poor health. They have higher rates of depression, anxiety, diabetes, cancer, heart attack, and stroke.

Because of this, opportunities for remote work have real potential to be beneficial for productivity in the workplace. If employers are understanding, we can work with our chronotypes and switch on for work during the hours when we are most alert. Work in sync with your circadian rhythm wherever possible.   

Caffeine is a stimulant that works on our central nervous system. It can boost energy and improve mood. 

The half-life of caffeine varies between people but is approximately 5-6 hours. If you consume 10mg of caffeine, you will have 5mg in your system five hours later. In light of this, The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that you avoid drinking caffeine at least six hours before bedtime.    

For more helpful tips, you might like to take a look at our Go1 Mental Health and Wellbeing pathway, a collection of curated courses to help you stay healthy, alert and connected when working remotely.

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

Sophia is a freelance writer who specialises in thought leadership, opinion pieces and content creation for learning publications. Her work focuses on the latest research in learning theory and practice. She regularly contributes articles on workplace learning and personal development to the Go1 blog. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

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Why getting enough sleep is more important than you think

With greater numbers of employees working remotely from home in response to COVID-19, it’s now more important than ever to stay connected. 

With this in mind, we hosted a webinar in collaboration with R U OK? - a non-profit organisation aiming to reduce the number of suicides in Australia, by urging people to reach out to each other and create supportive networks across our communities. 

Webinar replay | Staying connected in the new landscape

As R U OK? says, “it is now even more important that we all promote a sense of community, reach out and ask our friends, family and colleagues, “Are you OK?”

In the webinar, Go1’s Social Impact Manager Cam Cliff was joined by Go1 co-founder Vu Tran, and R U OK? CEO Katherine Newton, to discuss:

the key challenges facing organisations during this time

the potential impact of remote work on employee mental health

steps workplaces can take to create open and positive discussions around mental health

how to check in with teammates when working remotely

some of the signs someone may be struggling during this time

Attendee Jessica Hennessy summarises some key takeaways from the webinar:

1. Anxiety manifests physically first. Even if you're not an overly anxious person, recent events may have brought that anxiety to the surface. Be mindful of physical cues, in yourself and in others and offer an ear where you can to help alleviate that anxiety. Now is not the time to forget that mental health is still important!

2. When speaking with someone, ask them if they're still doing something they love. For example, I love keeping fit and getting a workout in. If someone has stopped doing the things they have always loved doing, this could be a sign that they're struggling. Offer some support.

3. We CAN make a difference as employers. Don't underestimate the roles we play in changing the trajectory of where our employee's lives go. Even if you need to make the hard decision to let someone go, do it in the right way and offer them open lines of communication and support in SOME way.

To help people #stayconnected we've also curated and released these additional free wellbeing resources for businesses.

Go1's Vu Tran and R U OK? CEO Katherine Newton get together to discuss the potential impact of remote work on employee mental health and the importance of staying connected during this challenging time. 

Staying connected in the new landscape of remote work

With many of us now working from home to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, we all need to consider alternative ways to remain physically active. 

In the office environment, there are opportunities for incidental exercise. Perhaps you popped out for lunch to a nearby cafe or went for a walk with colleagues. Working remotely reduces these opportunities - but it can create new ones.  And it doesn’t have to be detrimental to your physical health.  

This is our guide to help everyone on your team get moving. 

Exercise benefits the body in many ways, including boosting the immune system. Because of this, regular activity can help to flatten the curve and reduce the number of people getting infected with the virus.

The World Health Organization recommends varying levels of physical activity for different age groups. The general guidelines for adults aged 18-64 are to find time for at least 150 minutes per week of moderately intense exercise. Whether we are heading out for work or staying at home, this remains unchanged.  

Social distancing measures can make it challenging to know which types of exercise are appropriate. While this will depend on the restrictions in your country, any activity you can do while maintaining at least one meter between yourself and others will ensure you are limiting the spread of infection. It is also essential to wash your hands and disinfect any equipment others might use afterwards. 

If working from home is new to you, set up your seat and desk to support your body, just as you would at the office. Many people will be working at kitchen tables on a laptop, which is fine, but it is essential to ensure the spine is supported. Paying attention to this will limit the negative health impacts of sitting for most of the day. To make your workspace as ergonomic as possible, consider making the following changes: 

Try to keep your posture upright. To help with this, think about creating right angles with your joints. At your elbows, knees, and ankles. 

Keep your focus at eye level. If you are working with a laptop, this can be hard, but you can raise it with a few books, or invest in a specially designed stand. 

If you can, invest in a few critical pieces of kit for your home office. A screen, desk, and a good chair are all you need to stay comfortable. If you are using a laptop, also consider buying a wireless keyboard and mouse.

Working at home has advantages. You can attend urgent appointments, and your day becomes more flexible.

However, creating a new routine for yourself is not easy. Perhaps you are used to going to the gym after work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If possible, stick to this, and move your gym membership to somewhere local. Keeping as many parts of your old routine as possible will help to maintain momentum with physical activity.

If you started your workday with a walk as part of your commute, re-create that when working from home. Make it easier for yourself by working with existing habits. 

It can take some time to adjust to working from home. Try to accept this fact, and don’t worry too much if it feels a little chaotic or unsettling at first. 

You might also miss out on some physical activity while you are getting used to your new way of life. In this case, don’t panic. You will soon get into new habits and ways of operating that work for you and help you achieve your fitness goals.

It’s easier to be more creative with your movement when working from home than in the office. You can lie on the floor, jump up and down for 10 seconds - whatever your body needs. Just make sure you have finished the Zoom call first!

The Pomodoro technique can also help you to take regular breaks and remind you to check-in with yourself. This video from Trello explains how to use the method effectively. The idea is to take a short break every 25 minutes, followed by a longer break after two hours, as this is proven to make you more focused and productive. 

You can use your short breaks to walk into another room and move around, or maybe even do a few simple yoga poses to get your spine moving. Your upper body is an area to focus on, as this gets very little attention when you are sitting for long periods.

5. Use any extra time you’ve gained wisely

A great benefit of remote work is no longer having a long and expensive commute. If you had a long journey, this could add up to a significant amount of extra time during the day. 

Try to avoid using this time for extra work. You most likely wouldn’t have been working while travelling to the office, so allocate the time for yourself to be active.

How to stay physically healthy when working from home 

In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, ensuring that your employees stay mentally healthy is now a top priority. Nobody will have experienced a crisis on this scale before, and for some team members, the pandemic may have severely affected their family or close friends. 

With the majority of staff now working from home, it's important to consider how working remotely can impact an employee's mental health. Here, we have some advice for managers and leaders to help you offer the right support for your teams during this time. 

A sense of belonging is integral to being human. Social distancing measures have severely limited our ability to connect with others.

In modern life, we form many different tribes. Our families, sports teams, book clubs - these are all groups we can belong to. They help us connect to something greater than ourselves.

Our work teams are also a kind of tribe. Although there are ways to remain socially connected with colleagues online, working remotely undoubtedly makes this harder. 

In research conducted by Buffer in 2019 on the state of remote work, participants noted that their biggest struggle is with maintaining wellbeing. 22 percent found it challenging to switch off after work, 19 percent feel isolated, and eight percent can’t stay motivated.

There is a risk that employees working outside the office can become socially isolated. Ideally, companies would carefully design their remote work programs. Under the current circumstances, we don’t have the luxury of time to plan in this way, but there are steps we can take to improve the experience for employees. 

Social isolation is also proven to have adverse effects on both mental and physical well being, although why this happens is not yet fully understood. 

In light of the impact working remotely could have on employees, I have put together some tips on managing mental wellbeing. 

1. Accept that there will be a period of adjustment

Getting used to the new social distancing measures in place across the world will be challenging. There will be a period of adjustment for everybody. The uncertainty around how long the rules will need to be in place adds another layer of difficulty. 

All we can do is accept this new situation as best we can, and work with what we have. 

Accept that your colleagues will take time to get used to it. They might also know people who have been severely affected.

Even if you are busy, staying connected socially is essential. When you are in the same space in the office environment, informal conversation and socialising happen incidentally. Working online is different. Most interaction is organized, and often formal. 

While this saves time to focus on work, we do lose something if we don’t allow some time for chats about the weekend or life in general.  These kinds of conversations are important for team morale, and mental health. 

3. Set boundaries between work and home 

Now that we are all spending the majority of the day at home, we need to set clear boundaries between work and downtime. Having a designated space can help with this, and if possible, only use this space for work. 

When you have finished for the day, leave the room or space, and don’t return to it until you start to work the next day.  This approach might take some discipline to begin with, but it can help with switching off from the workday.

Some people will find it more difficult than others to adjust to social isolation. People need varying levels of social interaction.

Extroverted team members will find the adjustment to working alone the most challenging. They thrive on being around other people and may find it difficult to motivate themselves in isolation. 

Perhaps check in with more extroverted team members more often, and do your best to look after each other. 

It is all too easy at the moment to become overly focused on the negative. Our built-in negativity bias helps us to stay safe from danger, but it can lead to anxiety and depression when left unmonitored. 

Being overly positive and ignoring the danger isn’t helpful, but try to keep negative thoughts in check and detach from them. 

Limiting the amount of time you spend consuming the news is an effective way to do this. Some news is crucial, but there is a lot of it out there, so focus on the snippets of information you need from reputable sources. This will help to keep things in perspective and maintain a more balanced mindset.

We are currently experiencing a significant challenge as a global community. Now, more than ever, we need to check in with our thoughts and feelings and do our best to manage them. 

For you, this might mean going for a walk to reflect, listening to music, meditating, or journaling. Whatever it is that you do to stay mentally healthy, take the time to do it, and take care of yourself. 

Checking in is particularly important if you suffer from mild to moderate anxiety or depression, or if you have in the past. For more support, the Australian not-for-profit Beyond Blue offers advice and services to those needing additional support with their mental health. 

Managing mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic - Go1

How to manage employees’ mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic

In a relatively short space of time, the outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in significant changes to the working day for many people. Nobody is sure when, or if the workplace will return to what it was. 

In these uncertain times, we all have to learn new ways of operating at work. Those already accustomed to working from home will have techniques for remaining engaged. For those new to the process, it will be a challenging adjustment. 

Here, we outline the ways you can lead your team through the transition, helping them to stay socially connected.

Working with others has many benefits. We can collaborate more efficiently, connect with others, and their intentions are more apparent.

According to research, 93% of communication occurs nonverbally, through body language and tone of voice. Only seven percent of understanding is received through words. This data shows how much we are missing out on when using email and messaging platforms instead of talking to each other face-to-face. 

Social interaction is also essential for learning. According to the 70:20:10 model of workplace learning, 20 percent of what we learn happens when we engage with others. 

While employees can use instant messaging platforms to converse, it is crucial to be aware that much of what is said is lost, and misunderstandings could happen quickly without talking things through on a call. 

There are also plenty of ways to interact socially, but employees may not be accustomed to having informal chats or asking each other questions when working from home. It is essential to encourage your colleagues to keep talking to each other, and to interact as frequently as possible. 

Social isolation can also affect both mental and physical well being, although it is not yet understood why. 

Suggestions for connecting with team members

There are steps we can take to mitigate the adverse effects of fewer social interactions. I have outlined them below to help your team stay connected and to boost morale.

While many people adjust to their new work situation, team leaders need to check in regularly. Equally, you'll need to get the balance right and give employees enough space to complete their projects.

Some team members will need more instruction than others. Certain people will be happy to create their projects and self-initiate. Others will need a little more guidance, especially if they are young or in a more junior role. 

Some people are also more extroverted than others. These team members will most likely find the adjustment to working alone the most challenging.  Extroverts thrive on being around other people and may find it difficult to motivate themselves in isolation. 

2. Encourage your colleagues to have informal catch-ups

Even if you are busy, it is critical to keep up team morale. In the office environment, informal conversation and socializing happen incidentally, because you are in the same physical space. When working online, most interaction is organized and often formal. 

While this saves time to focus on work, we do lose something if we don’t allow some time for chats about the weekend or life in general.  These kinds of conversations are also essential for team morale and mental health.  

3. Ask those who already work at home for their advice	

In many companies, some employees will already be used to working from home. It could be helpful to chat with these people and ask them how they manage socializing with their colleagues online. They have the experience and could share it with others who aren’t so used to working outside the office. 

If any team members are struggling, you could buddy them up with a seasoned remote worker to ask for advice and help them adjust to the process. 	

While it is relatively easy with modern technology to connect with a team member or a small group of people on a conference call, it can be harder to get the whole team together. Team members might be used to after-work drinks on a Friday night, or regular dinners with colleagues.

In this case, it might be worth putting it to a vote and seeing whether your staff would like to do an end of week call. Using video call software, everyone can dial into the call. Employees who feel comfortable could take it in turns to lead the call. This strategy works well to connect the remote members of the team at Go1!

5. Make an extra effort to interact with people 

When at work in the office, we organically interact with people we sit next to, or people on other teams. We might pop to the kitchen to make a coffee or tea and have a chat with our colleagues.  When working from home, particularly if you live alone, this is unlikely to happen. You might go the whole day without speaking to anybody.

Being social when working remotely requires more effort. You won’t just bump into people, so you need to organize catch up calls, and initiate conversation more than you otherwise might.  

Equally, if you know a colleague who is working from home and living alone, check in with them more regularly or give them a call. Just five minutes of conversation might make a real difference to their day. 

How to keep your colleagues socially connected for extended periods of remote work

In Australia, October is recognised as Mental Health Awareness Month - a month to raise awareness about mental health and shine a spotlight on what we can do to look after our mental health and reach out to those who need support.

At Go1, our objective is to highlight the importance of a mentally healthy workplace through learning.

We also believe that the more open we are about discussing mental health in the workplace, the more we can help to support one another, while also reducing stigma around it. 

The facts about mental health in the workplace

With concerns about mental health continually rising in Australia, it’s never been more important for organisations to know how to support their employees, while providing a positive work culture and environment for all staff.

The fact is, at any given time 1 in 5 Australian employees are likely to be experiencing a mental health condition. With so many people suffering in silence from the effects of anxiety, panic disorders, OCD, and depression – possibly even that person you sit next to every day who always seems ‘fine.’

It’s really important for managers to support any employee who appears to be struggling. And if you’re in a leadership role, you need to make sure that mental health is being considered as part of your organisation’s workplace wellbeing strategy.

Steps you can take to raise knowledge, awareness, and support

Many Australian organisations are eager to address employee mental wellbeing but don’t know where to start. 

Online training courses can be a very effective way to educate employees, managers, and employers on the importance of building mental health awareness within the workplace. While online courses can’t replace the guidance and expertise of a mental health professional, they can help employees of all levels to understand more about mental health in the workplace. 

eLearning can help individuals to establish new ways of thinking about and improving mental health, through proven techniques and strategies, while also recognising that they are not alone in dealing with these issues. 

Online training is also really important for employers and managers. Investing some time into more learning will help managers to feel more equipped and ready to help staff who may be experiencing the problems of low mental health. 

Keen to get involved in Mental Health Awareness Month?

To support Australian workplaces throughout Mental Health Awareness Month, we have curated five highly relevant and informative courses to educate and raise awareness. 

We encourage you to explore online training over the next month, completing the following courses - one each week - for the duration of October.

Mental Health Awareness (for Managers, for Employees)

We will bring you the first of these online training courses next week - stay tuned! 

If you have access to our content library, you will have full access to these courses. Reach out to your customer success manager for more information.

Please remember, if you are experiencing significant distress, you can reach out to Lifeline 131 114 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 for immediate support.

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

Australian businesses are failing to support employees when it comes to mental wellbeing, with some people alarmingly still being told to “toughen up”, according to new research released today.

The Go1 Workplace Wellbeing 2019 survey polled more than 1000 working Australians on how well their workplace manages their mental health. 

Alarmingly, 7% of bosses tell employees to "toughen up" when they approach them regarding their mental health. Only 28% advise staff to see a doctor, and 40% simply "do nothing."

Only a third of employees are comfortable talking to their manager about their mental health, with 16% "uncomfortable" and 28% "very uncomfortable."

Employees are also more likely to talk to coworkers (20%) or "no one" (32%) about their mental health, than their manager (18%) or HR (10%).

The national survey was conducted in August 2019 by Go1.com, the world’s largest online training marketplace.

GP and Go1 co-founder Vu Tran said the results are very concerning.

"Australian businesses clearly need to do better. We know that more than 40% of all workers have their productivity, health and family stability impacted substantially as a result of high stress at work, and 50% of all employees leave a workplace because of it being a poor mental health environment," Dr Tran said.

He said that the findings showed “employees’ cry for help had fallen on deaf ears” in a large number of organisations, and that workplaces had to do a far better job at supporting workers’ mental wellbeing. 

“As a GP, I’ve seen first-hand how R U OK? Day can save lives. 

“It has helped avoid tragedy and transform people’s lives for the better. This has really changed how I view my role as a team member and a leader within my own company, and the role we all play in supporting each other.

“I urge everyone to take the time to ask your workmates the simple question: R U OK? – not just today, but each and every time you suspect something is amiss,” Dr Tran said.

“It makes a really big difference to people’s lives."

According to Dr Tran, many organisations were eager to address employee mental wellbeing but didn’t know where to start. 

He said there was an increasing demand for the right training and tools to help organisations achieve their CSR (corporate social responsibility) outcomes, with CSR-related training materials by leading experts and courses authorised by social good experts being the most in demand.

Go1’s new Social Impact Program, officially launched today in conjunction with RUOK Day 2019, helps organisations address three questions:

How confident are you that employees can spot signs of poor wellbeing in themselves and co-workers?

Do your employees know what steps to take when something isn’t right?

How do you and your employees actively work towards a healthy workplace?

"Ideally, managers and leaders will start taking the initiative to improve mental health within their organisations before it reaches the point of crisis. This means everyone in the organisation being aware of mental health issues and domestic violence, having robust policies against bullying and harassment, and clear support networks," Mr Tran said. 

"It’s also about actively building resilience and erasing the stigma of mental health. At Go1, we offer many workplace courses in mental health training in partnership with a range of organisations. These give people the ability to recognise mental wellbeing problems, as well as respond to someone who has those issues, including referring them to whomever they need to go to."

Australian workers’ mental wellbeing ignored, research shows

There are many articles out there about the importance of your employees mental health, but what about their physical health?

Do your employees have good nutrition, sleep and exercise habits? 

Do they drink four coffees before entering a meeting? Or do they crave sugary snacks to get them through the last two hours of the working day? 

Unfortunately these unhealthy work habits are all too common. 

Employers have a unique opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of their staff. By creating a positive, safe and healthy environment for employees, you can increase morale, improve your employees’ work-life balance and, in turn, positively impact your business.

While it is widely known that working is good for people’s health and wellbeing, it’s increasingly being recognised that a healthy workforce is beneficial to employers too. The key to increasing an organisation’s performance and productivity levels is the wellbeing of its greatest asset – its employees. This is why supporting a workplace wellbeing program and encouraging a work-life balance is highly recommended.

According to the Australian Government, healthy workplaces can help to make businesses more productive and employees more engaged. Therefore, promoting and supporting health in the workplace is not only common sense, but it makes good business sense too. 

Here are just some of the facts and figures out there about the positive benefits a workplace health program could have in the workplace:

It has been estimated that the healthiest Australian employees are three times more productive at work than their colleagues

The increase in preventable disease and workplace injury resulting from unhealthy living is a major cause of workplace absence or disruption 

Lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, excessive drinking, poor diet, inactivity and excess body weight can contribute to time away from work

Loss in productivity due to obesity through absenteeism, attending work when sick and premature death is estimated to cost $6.4 billion a year

Employers who run health and wellbeing programs do so because they want to: 

Improve work performance and productivity 

Reduce costs associated with absenteeism, presenteeism, disability and workers’ compensation 

Improve the culture of the organisation and retain existing employees

Improve the organisation’s image, attract talented employees and fulfill corporate social responsibility obligations

Benefits of a healthy workplace for employees:

Increase in health awareness and knowledge

Increase in physical health and mental wellbeing

Improved morale, job satisfaction and motivation

Improved opportunities for a healthier lifestyle

Greater capacity to enjoy life both in and outside the workplace

Promoting workplace wellbeing by offering increased education and support will benefit organisations in the long-term as individuals develop healthier behaviours, both in and out of the office. By increasing levels of happiness, inspiration and motivation in the workplace, you can positively impact the overall performance of your organisation.

Bottom line is: Healthy workers = healthy organisations = healthy business performance. 

A productive team is a healthy team, so why not help your team make better lifestyle choices with the Healthy Heart program? 

If you need some help in the right direction, the Kineo Healthy Heart program powered by Go1 is the best place to start. The seven healthy heart titles are suited to organisations looking to promote health and wellbeing amongst their employees and create a workplace wellbeing program for their staff. Created by leading subject matter experts in health, nutrition and wellbeing at the University of South Australia, these courses provide learners useful tips and tricks for staying healthy in the workplace. Find out more here. 

The need for workplaces to promote and foster physical wellbeing in employees has never been greater. 

Learn more about the Kineo Healthy Heart Program today! 

Signs of stress to look out for and how to manage them 

Stress isn’t the same for everyone. Some people excel under pressure (this is called healthy eustress), while others suffer from distress. What makes the difference is our ability to cope with pressure. When pressure exceeds our ability to manage stress then we suffer from distress with serious health and performance effects. What I will share with you are the top 5 signs of stress to look out for so you know how to spot stress and manage it.

PS: Find out your stress score with this online interactive evaluation - this should take less than 5 minutes. 

Think back over the course of the last week: 

1. Did you experience any of the following symptoms: headaches, chest pain, muscle tension, nausea, or indigestion?

People think of stress as mental / emotional, but the thing is your body releases stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline which can cause serious long term health issues. In the shorter term, stress can manifest with physical symptoms such as troubles digesting food, headaches, nausea & tension.

Tip: Change your stress flight/fight response to a rest/repair response in just ten minutes by doing a stress release meditation right at your desk. 

2. Did you feel like there wasn't enough time to get everything done?

Stress comes from overwhelm. It will help to quantify, prioritize and reduce the pressure.