Supporting your wellbeing

Advice from the NHS and World Health Organisation

If you’re feeling anxious, worried or stressed whilst staying at home because of the COVID-19 crisis, the government, World Health Organisation and NHS have issued guidance and advice on how to look after your mental wellbeing.

NHS support: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-tips/

Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

Mental health advice from the Vaillant Podcast

As a manufacturer, our commitment to keep Britain glowing stretches far beyond product and technical support, it’s about how we can empower installers across all areas of their professional lives on issues that really matter to them.

With ongoing disruption and uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s more important than ever to be open about mental health issues and seek help when needed.

In the first episode, installer Gary Bedford and psychologist Lauretta Wilson share their stories and give practical tips on dealing with mental health for installers who may be struggling or have concerns about a friend, family member or colleague.

Spotting the signs

If you’re worried about your own mental health or that of a friend or loved one, Lauretta says there are some key signs and symptoms to watch out for:

“The kinds of things we look for are sleep issues, so perhaps not being able to get to sleep as easily or waking up early, your appetite changing, so perhaps you're eating too much or too little, taking alcohol or drugs to medicate yourself. There are lots of different symptoms depending on what you're going through, but any signs of looking or feeling a little bit less motivated, lack of interest in hobbies that you used to have. They're all things that can happen when you're starting to go through something like that.”

Looking after yourself

If you’re suffering from mental health issues, what can you do? For Gary, a key part of his recovery was opening up and talking to a therapist. He says:

“I had my first proper therapy session several years ago, when I was signed off work for a few months. Then when I was going through a difficult period last year, I went back to the same therapist and said look, I'm struggling again. It's different things, a different time in my life. I’m now in regular contact with her and she’s really helped me to regain control of my mental health.”

Lauretta explains how good therapy should work:

“It's important that you can dip in and out. I think a lot of therapists work like that now where you don't have to commit to a dozen plus sessions. You can have two or three, see how you feel and go back if you need to, that's good, effective therapy. Therapy that works is therapy that puts you in control.”

Another important issue covered is the link between physical and mental health. Gary speaks about how taking time to prepare meals helps to ease his stress levels on a busy day:

“I usually try to be organised. I try to take something with me or if I’m on the go, then I find a healthy alternative. I'm a machine, I need to eat. And if I don't, I can't function. And before, I'd have just gone straight into the next job, get even more fed up and then I'd go on to the next job, and it would just be a concertina effect until finally I would crash because I had no energy, mentally or physically.”

Looking after others

The podcast also addresses how to broach the subject of mental health with a friend, if you think they’re struggling. Lauretta’s main advice was just to keep it simple:

“Listen, listen and listen. Don't judge. I wouldn't offer any advice at that point. I would just listen to what's going on for them. Depending on how worried you are, perhaps a GP might be an answer, but just sit and listen without any judgement.”

Gary agrees: “Yeah, that's it. But remember, everyone's different. So, some people will be really open speaking, some people won’t. Some people will prefer to text, others would prefer a phone call.”

Whatever your preferred method of communication, the key is to talk, talk and talk some more. As Lauretta says “mental health problems are nothing to be ashamed of” and by bringing the topic into the open we can help to remove the stigma and encourage more people to seek help.

For more information or to listen to the Vaillant Podcast, visit www.buzzsprout.com/840097

Mental Health Awareness Week: The importance of being kind to yourself through sleep and exercise

There is no denying that life as a heating and plumbing professional is physically demanding. But it can be taxing mentally too, with the pressures of running a successful business often meaning that self-care, and being kind to yourself, gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list. With this in mind it’s important that installers not only take time for themselves but also check in on others working within the trade to look after each other. For Mental Health Awareness Week 2020, psychologist Lauretta Wilson explains how increasing our activity can also boost our mental health.

The importance of Sleep

The human brain responds well to habits. So, it is important that we develop a solid sleep routine. For example, an hour before bed, it is a good idea to switch off our mobile phones, limit our fluid intake and brush your teeth. Over time, our brains will learn to associate this pattern of activity with sleep, meaning that falling to sleep should become easier, but also, once you drift off, you’re also more likely to enjoy better quality sleep.

The good news for those who have to work unsociable hours and respond to emergency call outs, is that the time of day has been shown to have little impact on the effectiveness of a sleep routine. So, regardless of the time we actually to go to bed, once we start the routine our brains will automatically recognise that it’s time to sleep.

Together with a solid routine, associating your bedroom with sleep will also help you to enjoy a better quality of sleep. Where possible it’s important that bedrooms are only used for sleeping, so avoid reading or watching TV in bed, both before bedtime and when waking the following morning.

It is important to remember that even with the best possible sleep routine, we will all, at some point or another, suffer with a bad night’s sleep. From day-to-day business pressures to overdoing it at the weekend, both can mean our sleep suffers. Yet, while your natural instinct may be to catch up on lost sleep the following day, you should exercise caution with this. Naps should be limited to no more than 30 minutes, as any longer can affect our sleep the following night and become the start of a sleep cycle which is difficult to break.

You can read more on the importance of sleep for your metal health here.

For further information on Mental Health Awareness Week 2020, please visit: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

The importance of Exercise

Studies have found that when it comes to the impact on our health and mental wellbeing, there’s little difference between getting our 30 minutes of daily exercise in one go, or by breaking it down into bitesize chunks. While 30 minutes may seem like a lot, 10 minutes before work, or even waiting for the kettle to boil, and then another 10 minutes before dinner and bed soon add up. It can even be as simple as walking in the morning to collect the newspaper instead of picking it up while you’re out in the van.

With many installers also running their own businesses, fitting in the time to exercise on top of a very busy work schedule can be hard. But there are some small changes you can make which will soon add up. For example, when you’re on the phone speaking to a customer, can you combine it with a short walk? On a commercial job? Can you take the stairs over the lift, or even take a short walk at lunchtime instead of eating in the van? These little things all go a long way.

You can read more on the importance of exercise for your metal health here.