Humansolutions Bulletin - June 1st 2017

The Cancer Challenge: Coping with Cancer When Someone You Love is Diagnosed by Hannah Mann Learning that someone you love has cancer can be a devastating experience. It can generate a wide range of emotions and leave you quite unsure about what to do. You will want to be supportive, of course. But what will help? What are the things you shouldn’t do in case they are perceived as unhelpful or inappropriate? This practical guide helps you to think through the issues involved.  Click here to read more

The term ‘vicious circle’ is one that is often used, but its significance is not always appreciated or fully understood. This is a pity, as it is an important and useful concept, and vicious circles are far more common than people generally realise. So, what exactly is a vicious circle? Basically, it is when one thing (let’s call it A) has a negative effect on another (B), and then B has a similar negative effect on A, leading to an exacerbation of A and its negative effect on B. And so it goes on, from bad to worse, the negatives of A and B reinforcing each other. The technical way of putting this is that a ‘feedback loop’ has been…

Conflict in the workplace can happen – particularly when passionate people have opposing ideas. But the approach to resolving conflict, while simple, is often overlooked. During a recent leadership course, the trainer said very matter-of-factly that “an issue isn’t an issue until it is communicated.” He gave the example of an employee sitting in a pod of desks, who was annoyed by the regular sighs of one of his colleagues. Yet instead of raising it with that colleague, he broached the subject with other colleagues sitting nearby.Before long, the entire office was betting on how many times their colleague would sigh in a given day – all while he remained blissfully unaware of the distraction he was creating. Click here…

Most of us spend on average a third of our adult life at work – unsurprisingly, our relationships at work and our work environment are crucial to our overall wellbeing. A supportive workplace can play a vital role in recovery, and provide security, structure, social connection, and a sense of purpose for an employee. In fact, having a supportive manager or supervisor is the most crucial factor in remaining or returning to work with a mental health condition. Supporting someone in your workplace can be tricky. It can be hard to know what to say or do if a colleague or an employee discloses a mental health condition to you. And it can be daunting for employees thinking about whether…

As part of its focus on good practice in the field of work and workplaces, the Work Foundation publishes a range of reports which you might find useful. Click here to read more

There is a crisis in mental health for young people. Services are operating in silos and they are not working for over-tested, overstressed young people. Much emphasis has been placed on teenagers with low self-esteem, with behavioural and emotional issues and how we can support them. At Water Hall primary school in Milton Keynes, we believe in the need to identify and address these issues early to be able to implement intervention strategies as soon as possible. Taking action early enables vulnerable children to rebuild their self-esteem and take responsibility for their emotions, behaviour and learning. The outcome will be that they re-engage with education, perform well and are confident and happy young people. Click here to read more