To help, we have partnered with Ben, the charity dedicated to supporting the people of the automotive industry, providing support for life for them and their family dependents. Ben works with people to improve their lives by enhancing their health and wellbeing through its free and confidential online self-help, helpline, and support services. This post was developed by Ben and has been included on the CarGurus website with permission.
The coronavirus is affecting everyone’s lives – both at home and at work. The unfamiliar and unsettling situation we now find ourselves in creates additional pressures and is causing many of us to feel stressed.
We all respond to change differently but our current circumstances are not something that any of us have experienced before. It’s completely normal to feel concerned, confused, scared, or even angry during these times – this is our body’s way of responding to a unique situation.
Stress can make us feel tired, tense, and overwhelmed. The combination of physical and emotional reactions to the situation can change our normal behaviour – we are less patient, become snappy, or even angry. This is because stress triggers our body into ‘fight, flight or freeze’ mode to prepare us to either stay and deal with a threat or run away to safety; adrenaline starts pumping, our heart beats faster and our blood pressure rises.
The problem is that our bodies are not built to maintain the fight, flight, or freeze for long. If we don’t do anything to stop this, we increase the risk of damaging our long-term health, so it’s really important that we find ways to get stress levels down and in turn, build our personal resilience.
If you’re struggling, call Ben’s helpline on 08081 311 333 or visit their website here.
If you need additional support, Ben’s helpline can support you with access to digital support programmes to help you with stress, anxiety, depression, money worries, sleep, and resilience – including access to mindfulness activities.
For tips to help you and your family manage stress, view Ben’s resources: