Are you on of those leaders who looks like they’re coping?

You appear calm. Composed. Capable.
On paper, you’re successful. In meetings, you’re professional.
Your team sees you as the one who has it all together.

But inside? You’re exhausted. Overthinking. Spinning plates while feeling like they could all crash at any moment. This blog is for you. And so is my coaching.

Because I work with leaders and business owners who look like they’re coping… but know they’re not.

Why Leaders Who Look Like They’re Coping is Common

It’s incredibly common.
People in senior roles often carry the weight of expectations – of being seen as strong, organised, emotionally steady.

Society seems to expect leaders to cope with all the pressure. And in the fast paced world we live in these days, with technology making sure we’re always switched on, always contactable .. leaders become adept at giving the impression they’re coping and feel they need to glide through all the tasks and situations; having a handle on everything.

Leaders often tell me ‘I don’t want appear weak’ by admitting they’re not coping.

But the truth? Many are paddling furiously underneath.

That’s what I call The Swan Effect – graceful above the surface, frantic underneath.
And it’s where my coaching for leaders who look like they’re coping really begins.

The Hidden Signs You Might Not Be Coping (Even If It Looks Like You Are)

You might recognise yourself here:

• Constant low-level anxiety, even when nothing is “wrong”
• Feeling mentally overloaded and physically drained
• Struggling to sleep or switch off at the end of the day
• Snapping at home while keeping it together at work
• Living in your head, questioning if you’re doing enough – or too much
• Craving rest, but feeling guilty when you take it

You’re not alone. And you’re not broken.

There are so many Leaders Who Look Like They’re Coping who work with me.

You’re simply stretched too thin, for too long.

How Coaching Can Help You Feel in Control Again

Working with me is not about becoming “better” at juggling.

It’s about deciding what’s worth holding, and letting go of what’s not.
Through personalised sessions, I help you:

• Reclaim time, space, and headroom
• Build sustainable resilience (not just grit)
• Make confident decisions without second-guessing yourself
• Drop the pressure to perform and be seen as perfect
• Create real balance in work and life

You’ll learn how to cope differently … not by pushing through, but by building inner calm, clarity, and control.

Real-Life Coaching for Real-World Leaders

I don’t offer fluffy solutions.
I work with busy professionals, executives, and business owners who live in the real world of deadlines, teams, and life admin.

I also live it. As a coach and carer to two adopted children with trauma and special needs, I understand what it’s like to manage intense personal responsibility and public expectations at the same time.

For example, we look at what’s important.  It might be that you really need that sleep, instead of staying up late and being the leader who looks like you’re coping and trying to get everything done. It might be that we prioritise for you to get your sleep. Is it that simple? Maybe.

We all find it hard to function when we are tired. Never sacrifice your sleep, always prioritise it. Maybe it’s something else you really need, you personally. Through coaching, we help identify these things and also where the positive impact will be so that you DO cope, and more than that.

This is coaching for leaders who look like they’re coping, but want to feel like they’re thriving.

Let’s Stop the Pretending. Let’s Get You Real Support.

You don’t have to keep paddling beneath the surface in silence.

My coaching helps you shift from:

• Overwhelmed → Empowered
• Burnt out → Balanced
• Performing → Feeling genuinely in control

If this speaks to you, let’s start a conversation.
Because you deserve support that fits your reality—not just your role.

👉 Book a free clarity call
👉 Explore 1:1 coaching options

You might have heard the term emotional bucket floating around (excuse the pun), but what does it actually mean? And more importantly, how do you know if yours is overflowing?

Let’s break it down, because understanding your emotional bucket is more crucial than ever in 2025.

What is an Emotional Bucket?

Your emotional bucket is a simple but powerful way of visualising how we store feelings — especially the tricky, tough, or heavy ones.

We’re talking about everyday stress, anxiety, self-doubt, feelings of not being good enough, and even the more hidden emotions like shame or embarrassment. Add to that the pressure of rising living costs, job insecurity, digital overwhelm from 24/7 connectivity, and social comparison from endless social media scrolling… well, it’s no surprise that many people’s buckets are dangerously close to overflowing.

When these feelings build up (whether slowly over time or quickly after a tough week), they sit quietly in our emotional bucket. The problem? If we don’t learn how to release or manage them, the bucket eventually spills over. That’s when we start to feel like we’re at breaking point.

How Can You Tell If Your Emotional Bucket is Overflowing?

There are some pretty clear signs, if you know what to look for. You might notice:

• Feeling constantly overwhelmed or on edge
• Bursting into tears or snapping in frustration over small things
• Struggling to concentrate or make decisions
• Feeling anxious, irritable, or trapped in negative thinking loops
• Difficulty sleeping, or waking up already feeling exhausted
• An ongoing sense of “I just can’t cope anymore”

Sound familiar?

As a coach and hypnotherapist, I work with people every day who feel like this. The good news is, we can do something about it.

If you’re looking for help to manage the overflow of emotions then coaching and hypnotherapy can be really helpful to give tools to empty your bucket or rebalance your emotions. Get in touch here to book a call to discuss more.

What About an Empty Bucket?

Interestingly, a completely empty emotional bucket isn’t healthy either. If your bucket feels empty, you might experience:

• Emotional numbness
• Feeling fed up, bored, or detached from life
• Constant tiredness, even when you’re resting
• Low mood or signs of depression
• Struggling to find motivation or enjoyment in things you once loved

We’re aiming for balance — not an overflowing bucket, and not an empty one either.

How Coaching and Hypnotherapy Can Help Rebalance?

In 2025, many of us are juggling more demands than ever, and while self-help tools are brilliant, sometimes you need deeper support. That’s where coaching and hypnotherapy come in.

As a coach, I help you identify what’s filling your bucket in the first place. We work together to build resilience, set healthier boundaries, and create coping strategies tailored to your life. It’s not about adding more to your to-do list — it’s about clearing space for what truly matters.

Hypnotherapy goes a layer deeper. It helps you access your subconscious mind, where many of these emotional triggers and patterns live. Through hypnotherapy, we can gently release the emotional build-up, reduce anxiety, and develop a more positive, calm mindset. Many clients describe it as finally turning off the relentless mental noise.

Together, coaching and hypnotherapy create a powerful toolkit for maintaining emotional balance.

Everyday Tools to Lighten Your Emotional Load

Alongside professional support, there are plenty of small, daily actions that can help ease the strain and either empty your overflowing bucket or fill an empty one.

Here are some tried-and-tested favourites from my coaching clients (and from my own experience too!):

• Spend quality time with people who uplift you
• Limit doom-scrolling on social media (a big one for 2025!)
• Get outside — nature has an incredible way of grounding us
• Move your body in any way you enjoy — dancing, walking, yoga
• Nourish your body with healthy, satisfying food
• Try mindfulness or breathing exercises to calm your nervous system
• Get creative: painting, baking, gardening, or even doodling
• Take a tech break — let your brain recharge
• Listen to music that boosts your mood
• Explore alternative therapies like massage, reflexology, or aromatherapy
• Visualisation exercises — imagine your emotional weight floating away in a balloon or drifting out to sea (yes, this really works!)

Most importantly: give yourself permission to pause.

Start Balancing Your Bucket Today

This term isn’t just a nice metaphor — it’s a real way to understand your mental and emotional health. If yours feels unmanageable right now, please know that you’re not alone.

Through coaching and hypnotherapy, we can work together to create space, release what’s weighing you down, and build the emotional resilience you need to thrive in 2025 and beyond.

If this resonates with you, please do go to my contact page and drop me an email or book a call to discuss how coaching and hypnotherapy can benefit you to keep your emotions balanced so that you have fantastic yet simple ways to control your emotions.

Emma Langton has over 13 years experience in supporting leaders to enhance engagement, performance and wellbeing. Her coaching, training and speaking is valued by individuals and organisations across the UK for getting results quickly with her straight talking Yorkshire style.

Often referred to by her clients as the boundary queen and the resilience goddess, she shares her passion for progress with practical tips and advice so that her clients improve leadership skills, reduce stress and pressure and elevate wellbeing. She regularly provides insights for BBC, Forbes, Metro and also has a podcast called Lessons for Leaders with 100 episodes.

I get asked a lot about who needs executive coaching. I understand what’s often behind this question. It’s usually someone asking: ‘Is it worth it?’ or ‘what on earth is executive coaching really … is it right for me?’

I’m a straightforward person and I’m not going to pretend executive coaching isn’t an investment. It’s not something to do as a new hobby because you’re bored. Yes, there’s a financial cost involved (more info here). But the far bigger investment is of your time, and your commitment to make changes. 

When is the Right Time to Seek Executive Coaching?

There’s no single right answer to when it’s the right time to seek executive coaching, but I’ve found that my clients and organisations tend to come to me for at least one of these reasons:

• They’ve reached a high level of success in their business but it’s starting to get on top of them and they feel like they can’t carry on like this
• They’re struggling in their work, and perhaps so busy ‘working’ and fire-fighting, they don’t have time for proactive strategy and leadership.
• They’re scared of being ‘found out’ as not really being on top of it all
• They have a big goal in mind – maybe a promotion, career change or growing their business and they don’t know how to make it happen
• Their relationships with friends and family are going downhill because they are thinking about work all the time.

The time to look for executive coaching is when you realise that you’re struggling to overcome adversity or you have challenges in your life that too hard to manage on your own. When I work with my clients I help them get clear on what’s holding them back – and very often, it’s not what you think it is. 

Think of yourself as an onion (stay with me on this!) and imagine the layers being peeled back. Getting to the heart of the problem is what executive coaching can do, in a way that’s nigh on impossible on your own. An onion can’t peel itself!

Here’s another sign it’s your time to look for executive coaching

– you’re itchy for accountability and support (even if you’re a little nervous about it).

There are some brilliant self-help books and study programmes out there, asking powerful questions and getting you to do some insightful exercises. And that’s great. I love those books too … 

But what happens if you don’t quite get to the core of the issue and just move on? Or (shock, horror) skip the exercises? I think we’ve all been guilty of buying a book, skimming it and wondering why it didn’t give us the transformation we’ve been promised (or, if you’re like me, you leave it on the beside table and hope it goes in by osmosis!!)

There’s no hiding with executive coaching – certainly not with me! Don’t get me wrong, it’s all explored with care and understanding. But if you don’t do the work, we’ll look into why. We’ll get to the root of it, and once you’ve pulled your blocks and limiting beliefs out at the roots, they’re not going to bother you. 

We’ll work out tools, tips, strategies that fit into your work, your life, your thought process … so that you actually make the change and use them!

Is Executive Coaching Right for Me?

So if you’re wondering whether executive coaching is right for you over the next few weeks, ask yourself:

• Are there changes I know I could put into place myself? (If so, go and do them, and see what happens. You’ll still probably benefit from a coach but you’ll be in a stronger place)
• Do I know there’s got to be a better way to handle my work and life? (If you’re totally happy with how things are, coaching’s not for you!)
• Do I want things to be different strongly enough to invest my time and energy into making change happen? (If the answer is no, coaching is unlikely to work for you).

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yes, I want my life to be different, yes, I want to feel calmer, happier, more in control, yes, I know I need some help to get things shifting”, then you’re probably in the right spot to think about coaching. 

There are so many types of coaches out there and not all provide executive coaching (I’ll run through the different support available another time!) that it’s important to choose the right person to help you with your specific issues.

I never take on clients without talking to them first, so we can get to know each other. If you want to book in a free call, just send me a message or connect with me on Linked In

What Are the Benefits of Leadership Coaching?

Coaching can help you move forward in your life, career or business. There may be times when you feel a little stuck, or perhaps you want to grow your business, progress through your career and you feel you need some help and support with that.

Careful support, guidance and questioning can help you begin to see your situations differently and help you put different actions and responses in place. Sometimes other people can help you see things more easily instead of having stuff rolling round in your head. That way you can reach your goals more easily.

What type of coaching is suitable for me?

There’s lots of different types of coaching. Executive coaching, leadership coaching, mindset coaching, life coaching, business coaching, sales coaches, sports coaching. The thing is you need to consider WHAT you want the coaching for. WHY you think you need it and WHERE you want it take you. This will narrow things down for you.

When you’ve figured that out, you can begin to investigate different coaches. Now, there are some coaches who simply teach and guide you their model – what worked for them. In essence, that’s mentoring rather than coaching. There are other coaches who help you to see the benefits of leadership coaching, they look at you, your business, your struggles, your goals and help you figure out what will work for you (that’s me)!

The only caveat on this is that if you’re thinking of looking for a mindset coach to help you with your fears, your worries, the pressure or overwhelm, make sure you get someone who knows what they’re doing. You don’t want just anyone messing with what’s inside your head! My therapeutic background means I know about psychology, neuroscience, trauma and can help you in this area if the need arises.

What are the biggest benefits of leadership coaching?

I work with business leaders and entrepreneurs and the common thing they say to me is about having no-one to talk to; to bounce thoughts and ideas off.  The benefits of leadership coaching are evident if you’re at the top of your company, managing staff and there’s a pressure to ‘cope’ or to continue the success. If you’re the entrepreneur, often working alone at home, there’s similar pressure to ‘cope’, be a success in your own business and do this with no team around you. This is where leadership coaching can be really beneficial.

One of the biggest benefits of leadership coaching is that it gives you a confidential and non-judgmental space for problem solving support and offloading to help you reach your goals and desires. This will benefit you and your career, business or family.

How long would I need leadership coaching for?

That very much depends on what benefits you want to see from leadership coaching. There are different ways of working and different packages to meet your needs. I have 3 main packages the support the leadership coaching I offer, although there are always options to tailor our work to fit your needs.

1.    A half day intensive where we can work on something and get you moving forwards. 

2.    Short Coaching of 5 sessions lasting about 75 minutes taking place weekly or fortnightly.

3.    A 3 month package to create a deep transformation in you across all areas of your life.

Some people might sign up for 6 months or an annual package of coaching. There are also group coaching sessions, often called Masterminds, and I’ve got plans for those too.

What’s Included in My Leadership Coaching Package?

To enable us to get the best out of our time together and for you to get the most benefits of leadership coaching, I include

• An online in-depth questionnaire. This helps you think about what you want to achieve and we can both get clarity on your situation, your goals and desires.
• Online video calls which are recorded so that you can refer back to them if you need to
• Unlimited email connection between sessions so you can reach out if you need to.
• Tools and resources that I think are appropriate or helpful for you to get the best out of work together.

Why should I choose you for my leadership coaching?

Whilst I appreciate there are a multitude of coaches out there, my 20+ years of corporate life running Directors offices mean I was the one person right behind the Directors and leaders at C Suite level and above. I kept them right, I sorted the staff, I supported the business and transformations. The benefit of leadership coaching with me is, I am that person that has got your back too! 

Add to that my knowledge and training of psychology, neuroscience, attachment, trauma and hypnotherapy means I really do know what makes you tick and what makes other people tick too!  One of the biggests benefits of leadership coaching is that I help you with understanding about why we do what we do, how to react and respond in a way that suits you and fits with your goals and your lifestyle.

We can add in a sprinkle of business, strategy, tools and techniques, all of which are personalised for you. Together, we can figure out how you can cope best with your life, your business, your career, so you can deal with challenges, face obstacles, manage the pressure and improve performance and resilience.

At each session we reviewed what had gone well since we last met and new areas to consider. By our third session I was feeling more confident and Emma helped me tackle one of my biggest issues – procrastination and fear of failure.

I finished the sessions feeling more confident, more skilled and more resilient. I really embrace the benefits of leadership coaching.

Denise (Coaching Client)

I hope all that is helpful for you if you’re making decisions about the benefits of leadership coaching and whether or not you should hire a coach and what to look for. 

You can find more information about my Leadership and Performance Coaching here.

If you’d like to book a free confidential call with me to discuss your situation then you can book here.  

In honour of International Women’s Day, I’m here to give ideas of ways that you can support women in leadership roles.  

There can be a number of reasons why there are less women than men in leadership roles.  

Data from the House of Commons found that companies led by women outperform those led by men – but despite this, we’re very far from achieving gender parity in the workplace.

I share information about:

Breaking the Bias

Unconscious biases, opinions and beliefs are formed early in our childhood. We learn these from family, friends and people of authority that are social messaging about boys and girls.  

Encouraging women to pursue leadership roles and supporting those who are already leaders is beneficial for the workplace as a whole.

Improving Confidence

Many women don’t apply for specific leadership positions, so work to improve confidence can be really helpful at this level.

Improving Language

When I say this, I mean changing the way that we are speaking up / giving time to be heard / not talking over the top of people; and establishing meeting etiquettes to ensure everyone is treated fairly during meetings, and that all have the opportunity to speak and be heard.

Listen for the story I share about how I had to have conversations about language being used, so I could keep a strong mindset about the work I was doing.

Male Allies and Cheerleaders are hugely important and I talk a little about this too.

Mentoring

Coaching

Women’s Networks

These are all important factors in supporting female leaders, so get in touch if you want more info on my services for these, but do listen in to find out how these are different and how they can help support women in leadership.

And finally,

Pay the same – if you’re not closing the gender pay gap then you’re missing one big thing.

Companies with female leaders perform better than those led by males, House of Commons data has revealed.

Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.  

If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com or head over to my contact page to book into the diary.

Listen in for:

• My tips on corridor coaching
• Explain the coaching continuum and how you can use it easily
• Some recent trends in coaching in organisations I’m working with too.

Leadership coaching is often very well recognised as being something that adds value to businesses through higher productivity, better engagement, and improved effectiveness.  How good would it be to have a coaching culture that provides that kind of support for everyone in the workplace?

That’s what happens when spend time creating a coaching culture.

What’s Important when Creating a Coaching Culture

By creating a coaching culture we are enabling your organisation to function in an environment where employees feel support to provide feedback, ask questions, encourage their own thinking .. for example to figure out problems and come up with solutions.  It creates situations where there is opportunity for shared learning, for people to use their individual skills rather than being a ‘one size fits all’ kind of workplace.

A Corridor Coaching Culture

Listen in where I talk about “corridor coaching” and how you can make that work.

Rather than wait for specific meetings, 1:1’s and reviews, you can provide opportunities for these conversations literally .. to take place in the corridor or at the desk.

The Coaching Continuum

Listen to my really simple way of looking at coaching with the idea of a continuum of Ask, Suggest, Tell.   Hear my explanation of getting a coaching continuum to work and where you need to be on this continuum to ensure you’re creating a coaching culture works well.

Often we prioritise a senior leadership coaching culture which is great.  The areas we forget about are HR and middle managers.  What happens then is that we will struggle to have a coaching culture of conversations running right through the organisation because we don’t have managers coaching the people right through the company and there’s a need to be creating a coaching culture for everyone, not just leaders.

By shifting to ensure that a coaching culture is the most predominant management style you can make it a success.  That also means supporting all managers with coaching and I’m often asked to provide coaching for middle managers.  At the moment, group coaching is working really well for them so that they develop coaching skills and leadership skills as well as build peer support and develop and enhance essential leadership tools.

If you want to know more about creating a coaching culture or any other support for yourself or your organisation then get in touch.

Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

When morale is low, it’s really hard to get people involved and motivated and can feel like pushing boulders uphill. So how do you go about boosting morale in your team without it costing a fortune?

Listen into the episode where I share about:

• Spotting the signs and circumstances
• What you can do about low morale
• An example of a client I worked with
• Why you need to find out what’s really going on, rather than guessing
• Several ways you can boost morale in your teams without it costing a fortune

Differing schedules could hamper projects and delay work because colleagues may struggle to meet and communicate plans.

Listen to the varied list of things you might be able to spot or identify in your team or workplace so you can begin to look at the levels of morale.

“When we listen (and really listen) to what’s going on in the workplace, we can then get to the root of the problems rather than just guessing.”

“You (or whoever is doing this) needs to listen and be like a detective. They’re looking for clues and info that will lead them to the solution.”

Let people know that you hear them is the next stage to boosting morale.  All this takes is time and feedback.  I share on the podcast words and phrases you can use that help with this.

Then encourage engagement so that you raise productivity levels.

Listen in for a little exercise you can do that demonstrates how our mood can lift us or drag us down.  

“Mood is contagious and it can have a ripple effect if people are fed up and miserable.”

Celebrate Achievements!

This doesn’t have to be a big award ceremony!  Small, regular things like peoples’ birthdays, successes, and individual efforts go a long way to boosting morale.

I talk too about how corridor coaching and building trust by small, powerful conversations help boost morale as well as enhancing performance and deepening knowledge.

Many organisations I work with already have a great wellbeing plan, but bringing in someone like me to deliver training that is needed, supported, informative and helpful is a great way to help them to help themselves. That way you show you care, they see that you care and, as long as you’re walking your talk, there’s a universal message coming across.

There’s no point saying ‘organise this and that’, and then sending emails at ridiculous times of night or expecting people to be in on their day off; or

There’s no point working all through your holiday and telling them to take time off when you’ve given them massive targets and things to achieve.

That’s where training for healthy boundaries or resilience is important right now… To help them cope with hybrid working and getting back to whatever the state of play is for now.

Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.

If you haven’t yet left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so you’re more resilient in these current times, so you can focus easily, and use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges, then make sure that you either drop an email to me at emma@emmalangton.com. Or head over to my contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all the to-ing and fro-ing you get when we try to get space in people’s diary.

Whatever your job role, overcoming work related stress is something many of us contend with. I think we can all agree that the last 12 months have brought new stresses to our lives, that certainly weren’t in our job description.  Many of us are still working from home and for a large percentage, we will be split between home and the office now, even when things return back to normal.

The health and safety executive says that 35% of work related complaints are due to stress, so it needs to be taken seriously.  As stress can hugely impact both health and personal lives, employers and individuals must place overcoming work-related stress as a priority for healthy, happy employees but also for an engaged and productive company.

With stress awareness month running through April, organisations are using this as a focus for their wellbeing workshops to support their people, reduce stress and improve performance.

So the good news is that there are some easy ways to overcome work related stress and by encouraging implementation of  these tips will enhance the support you give your people so that they can cope with these challenging times.

How Routines Help in Overcoming Work Related Stress

If you’re in the office, you usually follow a fairly regimented routine, whether that’s getting up and stopping at the shop, or grabbing a coffee, so it shouldn’t be any different if you’re working from home. Get up as normal and ‘start’ your day, get dressed and ready as you usually would. I know I feel so much more productive if I am ready for the day, as opposed to just getting up and sitting down at my laptop!

Ending your day when you’re at the office is easier as you can simply get up and leave, but at home you’ll need to create an act that essentially is the end of your day, whether that’s going for a walk, clearing your desk, or just doing something you enjoy.

The companies I’m working with are investing in support for their people around healthy boundaries and managing stress to improve performance. They see the value in helping employees overcoming work related stress because they are seeing that working hours are merging into the evenings and weekends, leaving their employees struggling to switch off or feeling under pressure to get through an incredible workload as well as juggling childcare when you’re essentially at your office all day and night!

Prioritising is Essential in Overcoming Work Related Stress

Stress tells us that everything is a (perceived) threat, that it’s urgent. Everything you need to do is not necessarily a life and death situation it doesn’t need to be dealt with there and then.

One thing that can instantly make you feel less stressed is to write everything down.  Getting thoughts, tasks and reminders out of your head is essential in overcoming work related stress by giving you space to think clearly, come up with a plan and be able to prioritise and delegate where needed.

And, don’t forget to factor in lunch breaks, or time to rest or just get away from your screen. After all, if you were in an office you’d be at the kettle a few times a day, or over at a colleagues desk for a chat every now and again.

Deep Breathing Helps Reduce Stress

William James, an American psychologist once said:

‘The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another’

and this ties in perfectly to my next top tip, which is to breathe. By allowing ourselves time to take a deep breath in and a long breath out, we are giving ourselves time to choose another thought. The act of deep breathing takes your mind away from the initial anxiety in your mind, it calms down your internal systems and it will help prevent you from spiralling into a panic.  Practicing a breathing technique every day is easy to implement and has huge benefits. Listen to my podcast episode on why you need a breathing technique for more information.

Overcome Stress By Getting Moving

As we head into warmer weather, getting outside for a walk each day, even for ten minutes is hugely beneficial.

Stress is relieved within minutes of time in nature by reducing your cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and reducing muscle tension and blood pressure.  Nature also boosts dopamine and endorphins production both of which promote happier feelings.  Taking a rest is necessary. It allows you to refresh your brain so that you return to work with higher productivity and better performance.

Speaking to Someone is Important for Overcoming Work Related Stress

There are two strands to this, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed, speak to your manager, quite often a lot of stress you’re feeling will just be your own mind and thoughts, but they might be able to help spread some of your workload. It might also be that you’re just feeling ‘zoomed out’, its so easy for businesses to get into the habit of just having meetings for meetings sake. Zoom calls can be exhausting as they stimulate our senses, so if you can free up time to get work done by dipping out of some meetings, that’s also worth mentioning.

Secondly, speak to colleagues. That’s it, plain-simple human interaction. If you were in the office you would be talking, so try and stay in contact despite being at home. You never know, you might be the only interaction somebody has that day. This can often help just make you feel better and less stressed too, by providing a distraction and taking a moment away.

As humans we’re hardwired to experience and respond to stress, but these simple tips can help you adjust your thinking to better cope. Stress can make us feel overwhelmed, unhappy and out of control, so it’s important to have some mechanisms to turn to. For more advice, get in touch with Emma

This blog was previously feature on Make It York as a guest blog

With the stigma too, about us being strong enough, good enough, capable enough, there’s also a lot of pressure to ‘cope’ with this busy life. It can be hard going!

There’s also added pressure at times from people around us or social media. This too, leaves people feeling putting pressure on themselves to get through more work, to do more, to achieve.  It can feel difficult and overwhelming. So if you are feeling swamped by social media or the pressure of work, business or just life, then here are the things you can do to help you keep a balance in stressful times.

1.    Be Kind To Yourself.

You absolutely are doing your best – aren’t you? You don’t need to beat yourself up (there are plenty of other people who will do that for you)! If you’re not kind to yourself it will drag you down, have you feeling deflated or defeated. That releases negative chemicals and makes it so much harder to pick ourselves up and keep moving forward. So use kind words and treat yourself as you would a friend.

2.    Put a Line Through Your Diary

Yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds! When your brain is in overdrive and you’re struggling to keep a balance in the stressful times, the very best, quickest and easiest way to get yourself back to your best and back on track is to take time out. You give yourself time to recover, to relax the whirring of your brain and enable you to clear your energies so that you can refocus. 

3.    Find Supportive Group or Person

I have an accountability group of a couple of great colleagues in business who I can talk to, offload and ask for advice. You might have a manager, colleague or a coach who you can approach. Let them know you’re feeling overwhelmed or struggling. Ask for support or ideas or maybe just an ear so you can offload, safely and comfortably.

4.    What Prevents You Keeping a Balance in Stressful Times?

When you know what drains you and drags you down and saps your energies then you do something about it! You can create a balance in stressful times in your life by countering the time or energy you spend being drained, with the time you spend doing things that energise you and raise your feel good chemicals. You can even do more of the things that energise and less of the things that drain you. Prioritise, outsource or think about doing things differently.

5.    Know What Energises You.

I love quiet things and time out. I have a friend who needs to run. Exercise, laughing, walking in nature, take time out, have a bath. There’s lots of things – but it’s not just about doing that thing – it’s knowing HOW it makes you feel. Recognising that you can feel energised, or uplifted. If you can find something that’s easy to fit into your day and that doesn’t take long, means you can get this energising feeling repetitively over the course of the day or the week.

6.    Learn to Relax

Chances are you’re the type of person who stays on the go all the time or keeps going to try to achieve the things that are stressing you. However, the very best way to stop the overdrive in your brain is to relax. Even if you do relax, are you getting enough? Relaxation enables our mind and body to calm down. We can then move from our emotional brain to our intellectual brain, so we can think more clearly, feel more energised and motivated and get that stuff done!

Which of these can you begin to do today?

If you are struggling to keep a balance during stressful times then Email me or book a call using this link to talk about working with me on 1:1 basis or how I can help your workforce.

This article was previously published on LinkedIn

Leaders, HR and all levels of the business will need extra help, support and guidance on looking after themselves and being able to spot issues and support the workforce. 

Some companies have plans in place for the return to office space, yet many companies are telling their workforce there is no intention of a return to office until September 2020 or later, if at all. Whilst these are intended to be clear messages, it can still contribute to employee stress – and reinforces their fears about the future so there are many reasons why mental wellbeing must continue to be a high priority.

The impact of continued remote working, alongside additional pressure of a difficult work life balance, isolation and schooling is adding to the worry, anxiety and associated mental health issues that were already contributing to difficulties within workforces.

Let’s not forget, that BEFORE lockdown there were already 1 in 4 people likely to have some mental health issue in their lifetime.  Research from Benenden Health in May 2020 said

“over a third of respondents feel the pandemic has been damaging to their mental wellbeing”

Mental Health issues are often hidden – but have a huge cost to companies if left undiscovered or not dealt with. Again, enhancing the reasons mental wellbeing must continue to be a high priority. The impact is particularly in areas such as:

• Poor employee morale 
• Low retention / high attrition
• The cost of high sickness absence 

Focusing on mental health and wellbeing needs to be a continuing part of your business plan and HR or Wellbeing Leads need to be ensuring that the plan is well delivered. As Ben Willmott, head of public policy at the CIPD, said “Employers have a fundamental duty of care for physical and mental wellbeing under the Health And Safety At Work Act,”

It’s no longer acceptable to just have the focus on one week of the year, or believe that a few posters about drinking more water and having a cake sale for a mental health charity is going to cut it. (Yes, I really was told that a cake sale was ‘everything’ one company was doing!)

What can you do to improve Mental Wellbeing?

Survey Your Employees Regularly 

Have an adequate survey that enables you to gather good feedback so that your employees know that mental wellbeing must continue to be a high priority in the workplace. It also means you’re not guessing about their strengths and difficulties so that you don’t waste money on plans and training that is not needed, as well as ensuring you are meeting their needs.   Remember, it’s not enough to just do the survey, you need to ensure you’re responding to the outcomes too in order to increase morale and gain the savings that you would like to see.

Provide Training and Expertise

Getting external support for training, coaching and learning will equip everyone from the Board down to be able to spot signs of stress and struggle in themselves and learn what they can do about it. 

For some companies who already have mental wellbeing as a priority and they benefit most from workshops designed for specific topics. Companies that I work with, often have great overall wellbeing plans in place, but have needed additional support in areas like boundaries, resilience and work life balance, especially during Covid-19 and those workshops have helped them complete their wellbeing implementation and ensure that mental wellbeing continues to be a priority.

Educate and Upskill Your Managers

Bringing in specific training will enable you to educate your managers to spot issues, raise any concerns and know how to be supportive and empathic so that they can catch issues early and turn around the negative impact of any situation before presenteeism or absences hit. 

It’s not just for your employees that mental wellbeing must continue to be a priority, it might be that your Board level executives need coaching or a high level training session so that they understand the impact of trying to work in a stressful environment and learn the best ways to support the workforce, demonstrate buy in and improve morale.

Knowing how to talk to employees and making time for one to one conversation is crucial in building trusting relationships that result in managers being able to support employees with early interventions. 

Improve Work life Balance

Think about what good work life balance looks like for your company. Are flexible working patterns possible – are they really possible logistically or is there a block on the idea just because of a fixed mindset or because it’s what you’ve always done?   

The Beneden research said

“more than half of parents whose mental wellbeing has been impacted say balancing working from home and childcare was having a negative impact on their mental wellbeing”

The companies I’m working with are investing in work life balance support because they are seeing that working hours are merging into the evenings and weekends, leaving their employees struggling to switch off or feeling under pressure to get through an incredible workload as well as juggling childcare.  However, they also tell me that even those without children are struggling too because there is no differentiation between the workplace and home.

Be Flexible

There’s no one size fits all. Depending on sector and role, the impact and need will be different. 

Key workers and front line employees will have had different experiences to those working at home and juggling childcare to those living alone.  We also need to take into account the different perceptions of people, some are more adaptable and resilient than others. 

Support the Supporters

HR and support workers in your organisation may have had additional pressure because they have been supporting others. It’s important not to forget that. So ensure that HR and managers also get the coaching, training or support they need so that they can continue to be there for others. 

Overall, companies are working hard to implement wellbeing plans – but with the arrival of Covid-19, it’s important to be responsive.  The Benenden report also said that over a third of respondents said they would like more employer support, so by revisiting and revising your wellbeing plan you can make sure that it has the best potential for success and ROI.

If you’d like to discuss how you can

1. enhance your company wellbeing plan during Covid-19,
2. discuss virtual training options
3. ensure your leaders are on board to support the Workplace Mental Wellbeing

Check out the options for wellbeing workshops, training and support or click here to arrange a call.

This article was previously published on Linked In.