Pressure is an essential part of our existence and in its positive form is an important aspect of our creativity, motivation and success. However, with increasing workloads we can lose the ability to cope with pressure constructively and allow it to become stress which can be harmful to ourselves, our work and our relationships. 

Stress is costing industry a great deal of money through absenteeism, exhaustion, lack of motivation and staff turnover.

HSE commissioned research has indicated that:

• about half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill;
• up to 5 million people in the UK feel "very" or "extremely" stressed by their work; and
• work-related stress costs society about £3.7 billion every year (at 1995/6 prices).
  (see http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/index.htm for further info)

For the individual, it is important for your own survival to acquire the skills and insight to understand what causes stress, the impact of excessive stress on your body and more importantly how you can recognize stress and reduce the occurrence of situations and thought processes that trigger it.    By finding a more appropriate work/life balance you can begin to make more rational decisions and choices about what is important for you.

The Centre provides a number of therapies and approaches to help you regain control in all aspects of your life.  For example, a useful approach for balancing the physical aspects of stress is to learn how to relax.

Self-relaxation techniques

Self relaxation techniques can be taught easily either to individuals or to small groups of people.  Regular practice allows the individual to recognize and reverse the physical effects of stress.  By learning to 'read' your body and committing to regularly practising short periods of relaxation, you can stay in control .

Self hypnosis training is offered routinely to everyone who attends for hypnotherapy and is a simple means of ensuring that you have a way of reducing the effects of stress both mentally and physically.

Hypnotherapy

Stress can often be caused because we feel trapped and out of control.  A short course of hypnotherapy may allow you to review issues in your life or in your relationships which have impacted on the way you feel.  By exploring, re-evaluating and recognising self defeating historical patterns in the way you think about yourself or your life you can begin to think more positively and regain the balance between work and life.

Life Coaching

Sometimes we don't need therapy as such but we do feel overloaded and need help to focus on plans, ambitions, goals and deciding what we want and the best approach to achieve the desired results.  Life coaching is a method of encouraging you to unscramble decisions and expectations so that a realistic plan can be agreed with specific actions to be completed within agreed times in order to move you towards your ideals.  Life coaching can be used in all aspects of your life - personal, work, health, career and business.  The coach helps you to identify self-limiting beliefs that prevent you from believing you can do or be whatever you want.

Reiki

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is a natural system for enhancing and balancing the energy within all of us in order to enhance good health. It is administered by therapeutic touch. Individual sessions can be arranged through the Centre or within the workplace. These usually last an hour.

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Business (for full details see the Business Applications section). 

Through Esk Consulting, businesses and organisations can be supported in their plans to reduce occupational stress by providing confidential staff support through the therapy work at Cumbria Therapies; by offering life coaching to employees and by offering training and workshops in aspects of work practice that impact on stress levels.   A number of workshops have been developed and can be designed to benefit the needs of your own organisation/workplace/team or the individual. They can be organised to suit your staffing requirements.

The relaxation techniques discussed above can be introduced to small groups as well as individuals. For example, Guided Visualisation techniques can allow a group to rapidly experience a reduction in stress levels.  This can often lead to more creativity and productivity on returning to work.  Again this service can be provided regularly in the workplace or as a 'fringe' event at conferences or training events within your organisation to introduce staff to the benefits of relaxation.

For details of these services, please contact info@eskconsulting.com or click on this leaflet-link to download a pdf file. 

Our customers come from a wide geographical area - Cumbria, West Cumbria, Dumfries & Galloway, Lancashire, The Borders, Northumberland.
Carlisle, Workington, Whitehaven, Cockermouth, Brampton, Hexham, Kendal, Keswick, Alston, Gretna, Lockerbie, Kirkudbright, Castle Douglas.
For those customers travelling a long distance we are often able to offer a smaller number of extended appointments. Ring Marion for advice.