Managing stress: Advice from caba CEO Dr Cristian Holmes
It’s mental health awareness week, and one of the most common mental health challenges accountants face is stress. In fact 55-90% of accountants experience it as some point in their careers.
CEO of caba, the charity dedicated to supported chartered accountants, Cristian Holmes, has over 20 years experience within the mental health sector. He sat down to share his experiences and advice for those who might be struggling in silence.
Stress in the workplace – is it always bad?
Stress can be perfectly normal in life and in the workplace, and it can even be. Good stress - eustress – is where the pressure is manageable, situationally short-term, motivating and leads to positive outcomes. It can help make our lives and roles interesting, positively challenging and help us grow.
Negative stress is what we are probably more familiar with. It can have negative connotations for our emotional and psychical health. It can give us headaches and tension, lower our mood, lead to worry and anxiety and cause us to feel like we can’t cope. In some cases, it can lead to behavioural changes and burnout.
Is resilience the key to managing stress?
Resilience is the ability to withstand and adapt to pressure. The good news: resilience isn’t a personality trait that only some people possess. In fact, resilience is comprised of behaviours, thoughts and actions that we can all learn and develop. Resilience can be ordinary, not extraordinary.
What do resilient people do?
I’ve often used a simple framework to practice resilience. Taking a lead from what research tells us resilient people do well, they:
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Don’t wait: They act rather than react, try and solve problems early, and manage their energy
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Recognise: They know what is in their control and what is outside of their control
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Socialise: They don’t go it alone. They ask for help from colleagues, friends and family.
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Practice self-care: Proactive positive mental health, maintaining boundaries and taking care of oneself through regular breaks aren't a luxury – they're resilient behaviours.
Ten tips for resilience building
You don’t have to do all, but these are some suggestions we can all try to help build our resilience:
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Build your connections
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Join a group outside of work
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Take care of your body
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Practice mindfulness
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Avoid negative outlets
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Help others
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Be proactive in your approach to problems and situations
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Try to always move towards your goals
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Look for continued opportunities for self-discovery
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Keep perspective, accept change and challenge and maintain a positive outlook
How therapy can help
Talking to a professional can be a very effective way of building your capacity to manage stress. Whether it’s through your employee assistance programme (EAP), a counsellor from caba, or a counsellor you’ve found privately.
A counsellor creates a safe and confidential space to help you explore and understand the causes of stress, and you’ll work together to find specific strategies to overcome the challenges.
How we can support others
If we are leading teams, we have an obligation to create the right environments that allow our colleagues to thrive. We could:
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Create psychologically safe environments
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Ensure that when we are in 121’s we’re having meaningful conversations
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Be proactive in our support for colleagues, recognise when they are struggling
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Be authentic and open, we have all had challenges and being honest about our experiences gives permission for others to be open.
Dr Cristian Holmes has been the CEO of caba, the charity for chartered accountants, since 2020. In that time, he’s brought his wealth of experience within mental health and wellbeing to ensure those everyone within the ICAEW community has access to the support they need.
Caba provides assistance to members of the ICAEW community, including past and present members and ACA students, as well as their close families. Its support spans financial assistance, counselling and mental health support, and legal advice.
