Tactics for maintaining Mental Fitness during the

COVID-19 Pandemic:

Understanding Stress

Dr. Bill Howatt

President, Howatt HR

Chief Research Workforce Productivity,

Conference Board of Canada

Jesse Adams, MSc

Chief Learning Officer, Howatt HR

Agenda

1 Refresher: Charging our Battery

2 Micro-skill of the Day: Understanding Stress

3 Actions for today

2

1 Refresher: Charging our Battery

2 Micro-skill of the Day: Understanding Stress

3 Actions for today

Recall, we are like batteries and each day we may start

at a different level of charge

4

Charged

Charging

Half-full

Drained

Empty

=

Resilience is built through joint responsibility

5

Feel safe

Trust in direct manager

Sense of pride in work

Feelings of appreciation

Positive peer interactions

Positive customerinteractions

Absent of workplace conflict

Clear role

Understand priorities

Managingworkload

Employee ActionsEmployer Actions +

Job satisfaction

Mental fitness

Physical activity

Nutrition

Passion

Sleep

Social connections

Relaxation

Lifestyle choices

Work-life blending

Maintaining Mental Fitness: Micro-skills

• Micro-skills are small behaviours or

cognitive skills you can add to your life to

support mental fitness

• They are skills that can be applied to all

areas of your life:

– Physical

– Mental health

– Personal life

– Work experience

Understanding

Stress

Social Connection

Coping with

Grief

Insulating

for Anxiety

Supporting

others

Work-life

Blending

Leading your

team

Laura’s Mental Fitness Plan

7

Mental Fitness Physical Health Social Connection

Daily

• “Travel Journal”

• Reading (Fiction)

• Cooking

• Running

• Meal and sleep routine

• Yard work

• Family yoga

• Team check-ins

• Facetime w/ friends

When needed

• Take a break: walk to the

waterfront

• Teletherapy w/ physiotherapist • Virtual games night with friends

1 Refresher: Charging our Battery

2 Micro-skill of the Day: Understanding Stress

3 Actions for today

Mental health and stress

• Stress is something that is ingrained into our day-to-day lives

• Stress is defined as “any uncomfortable emotional experience accompanied by predictable

biochemical, physiological and

behavioural changes”

9http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/understanding-chronic-stress.aspx

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Depression Eustress Anxiety

Stress severity and duration scale

Pe

rfo

rman

ce

Peak performance

Distress, resulting in hyperarousal

Distress,resulting in hypoarousal

Stress is not all bad.

It is when it moves from eustress to distress.

Daily stress load defines risk for mental health driven by

psychosocial stress

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High Risk • Distress can predict Mental Health Risk

• Consequence and impact on home and work are evident

• Experience symptoms of stress physically and/or mentally

• Intense bursts of feeling overwhelmed

• Worry more about failing or experience stressful thinking

• Challenged

• Motivated

Low Risk

• Eustress can support life fulfillment and happiness

0 - low stress

100 -

maximum

tolerance

Frequency

Duration

Intensity (FDI)

How our brain reacts to stress

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ACC

2. Caveman

brain

1. Logical

brain

What happens if we are in Eustress vs. Distress?

Increase in

attention to detail

Excessive worrying

Increased

focus

Increase in

problem solving

Increased emotional

response

Memory

loss

Feeling

Lonely

Loss of

Purpose

Increase in physiological

response

Decreased

emotional response

Increased

Resilience

Increased sensitivity

to stimulus

DistressEustressIncreased

procrastination

?

Coping risk continuum: where do you spend most of your time

coping with stress?

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At-Risk

Coping

Positive

coping

Drug Use

Alcohol Use

Isolate

Food

Work

Social Connection

Support

Problem Solving

Healthy Habits

OK

1 Refresher: Charging our Battery

2 Micro-skill of the Day: Understanding Stress

3 Actions for today

What do you use to cope with stress?

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Tobacco

Technology

Sleep

Isolation

Alcohol Gratitude

Professional

Support

Social

connection

Exercise

Food

Compulsive

Shopping

Ignoring the issue

Work

Healthier Coping

skills

Riskier Coping

skills

ZZ

Z

Gardening

Drug use

Pets

Reflection for today

• What do you do when you are feeling over stressed?

• What are of your healthy coping methods and what are some of your unhealthy methods?

• Share your reflection on social media using the hashtag:

– #MYMF

– #MYMFPLAN

– #MFSTRONG

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Next Weeks Webinar

• When: Tuesday April 21, 2020

• What time: 12 pm est

• How to find it: www.maintainingmentalfitness.com

• Micro-skill: Insulating for Anxiety

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Question Periodwww.maintainingmentalfitness.com