Overcoming Stress

Stress was already an issue in American culture before COVID-19 but we all know the pandemic took it to new levels previously unimaginable to our generation.

Understanding this, we wanted to take a closer look and measure its impact on our members and their employees. On October 28, 2020, we emailed our members a survey asking them about stress since COVID-19. To view the results, click here.

As a response to the survey results, we decided to create & gather resources to help you and you employees to overcome stress! Please check back as we’ll continue to add resources into 2021.

VIDEOS (via YouTube):

  1. How Stressed are Your Employees? To get an idea of how stressed local employees have been since COVID-19, the Portage County Safety Council surveyed its members in late October 2020. In this video, we discuss the eye-opening but not surprising results. (19:40) Power Point.
  2. How to Talk to Employees About Stress. Stress at work during COVID-19 is at an all-time high! Nearly half of our members said stress likely causes them to occasionally work unsafely and well over half (59%) said their companies rarely or never talk about it to employees. Luci Payne and Barb Furst of IMPACT Solutions joined us to discuss how we can talk to employees about stress. (46:10)
  3. Dealing with Stress at Work Since COVID-19. Clinical Consultant, Kelly Bako Younkins, joined us to talk about dealing with stress at work since COVID-19. (58:41)
  4. When to Know You Need Help.  Jennifer Parmenter, Clinical Counseling Supervisor at Family & Community Services, joined us to talk about how stress is affecting us since the pandemic. She also gives us advice on when to know we need help beyond self-care and our personal support systems. (45:37)
  5. How to Engage Gen Z at Home & Work Tanya Miller of Anti-Virus Youth Education and Dawn Yoder of Global Priority Solutions joined us to talk about how to better engage younger workers and family members. As a CEO, Dawn flipped a company’s annual retention rate from 25% to 75% in one year by engaging employees better! She describes her experience starting at around 21:00 in the video (1:01:01) and 20:00 in the podcast. (56:54)
  6. How Stress Affects Anxiety & Rest. Joshua Hill, LPCC, Therapist, at Preferred Care Counseling, joined us to talk about how stress stimulates anxiety and hinders us from resting. (39:55)
  7. Stress: Learning Today for a Better Tomorrow. This is a live recording of our Virtual Safety Council meeting on Thursday, December 10, 2020. The topic was Stress: Learning Today for a Better Tomorrow and it was presented by Kristen Dickerson, PhD, Statewide Health, Wellness, & Special Program Manager, OCOSH-Ohio BWC. (1:05:16) Power Point.
  8. How Stress Affects the Body. Dr. Aubree Brachna of Peak Family Chiropractic in Akron, OH, joined us to talk about how stress affects the body! (54:08)

PODCASTS (also available on most podcast apps):

  1. How Stress Affects Workplace Safety. Is stress really a safety concern? In this episode, Mike & Nic chat about stress before & during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it significantly impacts your workforce, even in regards to safety! (22:52)
  2. Overcoming Stress at Work & Beyond! Clinical Consultant Kelly Bako Younkins,  joined us to talk stress at work and beyond! (53:33) Listen/Download via Google Drive.
  3. Embracing Self-Care During the COVID-19 Crisis. Jennifer Parmenter, Clinical Counseling Supervisor at Family & Community Services, Inc., in Kent, OH, called in to give us some tips on how to take care of ourselves and our mental health during the COVID-19 crisis! (28:37
  4. Stress Management 101. We caught up with Dr. Aubree Jones of Peak Family Chiropractic, at the 2019 SCSC Wellness Conference in Akron, to talk about stress! (18:37)
  5. Overcoming Loneliness During COVID-19. According to the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration, “loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day!” As the COVID-19 crisis continues, we asked Jennifer Parmenter, Clinical Counseling Supervisor at Family & Community Services, Inc., in Kent, OH, to call in to give us some tips on how to overcome loneliness & avoid its deadly consequences! (56:32)
  6. [Health Talk] Overcoming Stress. Mindy Gusz, Community Outreach Coordinator at University Hospitals Portage Medical Center, explains what stress is & how we can overcome it! (4:24)
  7. Talking Wellness with Kay Frances. We caught up with Motivational Humorist, Kay Frances, after her keynote presentation at the 2019 SCSC Wellness Conference in Akron, to talk about workplace wellness! Michelle Francisco, Safety Council Program Manager for the Ohio BWC, also joined in on the conversation. (16:59)