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Look After Yourself

There are a great many different pressures and emotions that we all encounter on a daily basis and sometimes we’re so busy looking after others, that we don’t take the time to look after ourselves. We all need help, support, and advice from time to time, and below are a number of great resources for this.

ADVENTURE 999

Seeks to bring together our Emergency Services and other vital Frontline and NHS services to create opportunities for us to get outdoors and share stories of our adventures; make friends and support and inspire each other. Adventure and personal challenge has the power to change lives by improving our mental well-being.

Visit their Facebook page and website.

Facebook is a private group, you’ll need to request to join.

 

Able@NEAS

We are employees of the North East Ambulance Service currently living with disability, whether that is ourselves, a family member or friend. Team NEAS!

Visit their Twitter or Facebook pages.

For information on the Network Chair, Vice Chairs, meeting dates & Priorities for the Year Ahead visit here

 

Proud@NEAS

We are the LGBT+ staff network for @NEAmbulance. We champion equality, diversity & inclusion for our staff & patient’s #NEASPRIDE proud@neas.nhs.uk!

Visit their Twitter or Facebook pages.

Facebook is a private group, you’ll need to request to join.

For information on the Network Chair, Vice Chairs, meeting dates & Priorities for the Year Ahead visit here

 

Together@NEAS

We are the Employee Network for the Black, Asian & Ethnic people witin the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Visit their Facebook page

Facebook is a private group, you’ll need to request to join.

For information on the Network Chair, Vice Chairs, meeting dates & Priorities for the Year Ahead  visit here

 

Mind

We’re Mind, the mental health charity. We’re here to make sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone.

Visit their Facebook page and website.

 

Mind Blue Light Confidential Infoline

The confidential Blue Light Infoline provides helpful information on mental health, advice and signposting to local support services. The trained advisors offer understanding and options for support, to enable you to make informed choices about mental health. The Infoline is just for emergency service staff, volunteers and their families, to help keep you or those you care about well for work.

Lines are open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays).

The links underlined in orange below can be opened by

0300 303 5999 (local rates)
bluelightinfo@mind.org.uk
Text: 84999

Find out more visit here

 

TASC The Ambulance Staff Charity

Dedicated to supporting the UK’s lifesaving ambulance community. At The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC), we’re passionate about caring for the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of those who care for us. Because they care, we care.

Visit their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages and also their website and shop.

 

The Worry Tree Some of us spend large parts of our day worrying, others may be days or weeks without a worry. But from time to time we will all find something which causes anxiety and leads to worry. Whether we are worrying about something that has happened, is happening now or something which might happen in the future our ability to manage these feeling can help to reduce our levels of anxiety. What does worry look like? The Worry Tree is one way to help you deal with worrying thoughts and put them in the right place in your mind at the right time whether past, present or future events. Allowing you to move passed your current feelings by creating time to process your thoughts and changing your outlook. You may already have coping techniques which involve a happy place you can go physically or mentally free of negative feelings, or you may have activities which act as a distraction to your negative feelings. These activities may include a peaceful walk, mindfulness or simply colouring. Will it help me? Without a way to work through a situation you may lose control over these feelings, creating an ever growing feeling of dread unable to control how you feel, and having no control over the event itself. The Worry Tree, can help if you spend large periods worrying about ‘what ifs’, worrying about future events or things you cannot change or control, if you spend your time thinking about possible outcomes and imagine the worst possible outcome the Worry Tree might help you out. How it works... The first thing you need to do when you get worrying thoughts or feelings can seem simple however is vital. Notice the worry. Acknowledge your feels and rather than hide from those feelings look to address them. So, once you know you have feelings of worry, the next thing to do is to ask yourself What are you worrying about? Once you know what you are worrying about you can decide if the problem is a current one or a hypothetical situation and consider can you do anything about the situation. Hypothetical Situations are the what if thoughts in which you map out the worst possible situation for yourself. Usually using powerful imagery to see what that worst-case outcome looks like. While these situations can cause a lot of anxiety, the reality is there is usually very little you can do to control the event. Making the time spent worrying and planning all possible outcomes less helpful and usually more detrimental to your mental well-being. So if you cannot do something about it, the Worry Tree approach would be to let go of the worry as you cannot control the outcome and to change your focus to something else. You may postpone your worry until the event happens or you have more information which allows you to gain control over the situation. Current Problems are real situations and importantly you can do something about them. So now you know what you are worrying about and that you have the ability to do something about it. You can make time to decide what you can do, when it needs done and how you will do it. You may choose to do this straight away or make more time later and schedule in a time to work through your thoughts but once you have processed it completely and have a plan in place, let the worry go and change you focus onto something else. Using the Worry Tree the goal is to move passed your feelings or worry to let them go and change your focus onto something else rather than becoming overwhelmed with worry. Reproduce by kind permission of OD

The Worry Tree

Some of us spend large parts of our day worrying, others may be days or weeks without a worry.

The Worry Tree is one way to help you deal with worrying thoughts and put them in the right place in your mind at the right time whether past, present or future events. Allowing you to move past your current feelings by creating time to process your thoughts and changing your outlook.

Visit the Worry Tree page for more information.