This is how you avoid going into the wall – the psychologist’s advice
Published: May 19, 2023, 10:28 amPutting work ahead of health is an all too common pitfall. Here are the psychologist’s tips on how to reduce stress, and which warning signals from the body you need to take seriously.This is how you get help if you have Skandia health insurance through workMost people know that it is not optimal for health to immediately answer every email that comes in, skip lunch or postpone exercise. Even so, it can be easy to push yourself a little more. But stopping and breaking this negative cycle can be very worthwhile. Longer periods of clear overload without recovery can ultimately lead to exhaustion syndrome, notes Magdalena Wiik. She is a licensed psychologist at Skandia’s partner Sophiahemmet Rehab Center and emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between strain and recovery.
Let the brain rest
– Intensive mental work is exhausting in the same way as carrying heavy loads. You can focus for a short time and after that you need to recover.
Magdalena Wiik is a registered psychologist at Sophiahemmet Rehab Center. We need to take regular “thinking breaks”, according to Magdalena Wiik. – Then we don’t plan or solve problems, but just let our thoughts wander without acting on them, she says. Physical activity and recovery are also important to feel good. But in order to find time for that, you also need to be able to say no to things. It can be difficult, because a behavior is often guided by short-term consequences. – If it feels good in the short term to clear an overflowing inbox, help a colleague or deliver on time, we do it. Even if it means that the gym session is canceled or that we have to run to the preschool with our breath in our throats, says Magdalena Wiik and continues: – You might think: “So nice to be done!” or “I’ll take care of myself later”. The problem is if this behavior goes on for too long.Skandia health insurance through work? That’s how it works
Preventive health work is an investment
The individual perspective is a piece of the puzzle. Another is about what the employer can do. All workplaces need preventive work environment work, says Magdalena Wiik. – It is important that you as an employee either know which tasks should be prioritized if time becomes tight, or who to ask for prioritization or support. It is also important that you can take several breaks during the day and that there is a variety in the tasks. Skandia’s health economist Jenny Wiener emphasizes that employers have powerful tools they can use to reduce the number of sick days – and at the same time reduce human suffering and increase the profitability of their own company. – We have worked together with our customers with models with an emphasis on prevention. The receipt is very clear: we have invested long-term in preventive efforts together with our customers and have succeeded in more than halving the number of sick leave in the last 15 years, she says.
Skandia’s health economist Jenny Wiener. There is a built-in carrot in the model in that client companies that work preventively and become healthier also pay lower premiums. Because it pays to act early on signs of ill-health and prevent them from leading to sick leave, emphasizes Jenny Wiener. – The single most important element in Skandia’s preventive health insurance is our dedicated health and rehabilitation counselors who coordinate, adapt and follow up efforts before, during and after sick leave. It is a model with low thresholds for early support, she says. Anyone who has care or health insurance with Skandia through their job can contact Hälsoslussen to get access to preventive help. Regardless of whether the problems are due to work or are private, you can get in touch there to get advice and support from Skandia’s partner, Sophiahemmet Rehab Center. – You can’t apply too early. It takes energy to create change. We sometimes see the opposite: that you wait far too long, which only makes the rehabilitation more protracted, says Magdalena Wiik.Do you want a healthier business? Get business advice
Ten signs that can be symptoms of too much stress:
1. “Hurry behaviour” – you do everything in everyday life very quickly. 2. Tensions and aches.3. Sleep problems.4. Forgets and loses words.5. Irritation and low mood.6. Worry and anxiety.7. Impaired immune system.8. Skin irritation.9. Stomach problems.10. Cardiovascular diseases. Source: Sophiahemmet Rehab Center. If you experience signs of prolonged stress, you should contact a doctor. Exclusion of another disease requires a medical examination. Employees who have an occupational pension with health insurance at Skandia also have health insurance at no extra cost. Via Skandia’s health lock, you and your employees get in touch with a health and rehab counselor. The health insurance helps the employee with e.g. depressed mood, stress or pain. 8 out of 10 use the health insurance preventively to avoid sick leave. Read more about Skandia’s health insurance
Skandia health insurance – this is how it works
If you have Skandia’s health insurance through work, you can get help and advice if you are in the risk zone of being on sick leave, and if you are already on sick leave, you will receive rehabilitation assistance Via Hälsoslussen, you will get in touch with a health and rehab counselor at the Sophiahemmet Rehab Center who will make an assessment of which interventions you need. We make no difference whether your problems relate to work or are private.Read more about Skandia’s health insurance The article is produced by Brand Studio in collaboration with Skandia and not an article by Dagens industri
