Podcast: How to deal with stress

Stress awareness is increasing, but so too is stress itself. With more pressure on workers, business owners and families, it is common for us to get stressed. But recognising it, and dealing with it, are important. Otherwise, it could lead to both mental and physical health issues.

In the latest episode of the Auto Repair Focus Podcast, Phil Curry speaks with Nishi Pankhania​​​​, a Life Coach at automotive industry charity Ben, to find out more about stress, tips for managing it, and why life coaching can help…

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Awareness of stress is key

“A lot of the people that we work with here at Ben Life coaching are affected by stress,” commented Pankhania. “The results from the last Ben health and wellbeing survey we conducted, which saw just over a thousand respondents, show that stress ranked the highest of 74 different issues that impact people’s health and wellbeing.”

Being aware of stress is crucial in today’s world. There are so many pressures on everyone, and these issues can build to a point where it becomes overwhelming.

“There will be kind of periods in the year when we might feel more stressed, like in the run up to Christmas or things like that. But stress features all the way throughout the year,” added Pankhania. “And I think as humans, we become really good at adapting. So, if you are in a stressful situation, it might creep up on you Often we create lots and lots of coping mechanisms and we live with stress for a long time. But there might become a time where it becomes too much.”

Prepare to share

Opening up about stress, or anything else, is not a weakness, but the beginning of a journey to look after yourself. Life coaching is an opportunity to share and relieve some of the pressures that may be building up in everyday life.

“I often explain coaching as being a safe space to think,” commented Pankhania. “We probably feel like we do a lot of thinking all the time, but we can really get that chance to do good, quality thinking in coaching. We get that time to think about ourselves and dedicate some time to thinking about things such as ‘what do I want, what am I doing right now, what do I want to be doing and how do I get there?’” 

Life coaching awareness is also increasing. Pankhania stated that there has been a 20% increase year-on-year in people coming forward for the service at Ben. Additionally, over 5,000 people have viewed the charity’s coaching page in the last year alone. 

“On the Ben website there is a page where we feature stories, so people can go on there and have a read through testimonials of those that have been through support at Ben or coaching specifically, and hear a little bit about what that felt like for them and what it helped them achieve,” she continued.

“It is supportive environment. Sometimes people do really like speaking to someone that does not know them, does not know any of the history, is not going to tell them what to do, will not judge them on where they are and why they are there, but they are just going to be there to support them and empower them to make their own choices.”

If you are struggling with stress, or any other challenge, Ben is there to help. Find out more by visiting www.ben.org.uk