National Stress Awareness Month: Our Top Tips to Relieve Stress

Working in the event industry can be very rewarding, we bring people together making them smile, create amazing experiences and make lifelong friendships! On the flip side, the events industry is widely known for  being intense in terms of hours and workload which can add to employee stress if not managed or supported properly. 

Some levels of stress have been found to be healthy, as it can make us take necessary action, increase our ability to problem-solve and enable maximum performance 📈 However, stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. In recognition of National Stress Awareness Month, we wanted to touch on the importance of taking steps to manage stress and promote mental wellness in the industry- and for yourself! 🙌

Here are some ideas for promoting stress awareness and mental health in the events and experiences industry:

🔷 Offer mental health resources to employees

At Verve, we offer our employees access to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to avail of. An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a tailored counselling service that provides employees with the means of support for various issues or problems (both personal and work-related) which can impact on their working lives.

If your company has opted into an EAP, make sure your employees are aware of these resources and encourage them to take advantage of them. If you are curious if your company has opted into an EAP, reach out to your HR lead who will be able to give you more information. 

🔷 Promote work-life balance

Long hours and tight deadlines are common parts of the experience and events industry. This lifestyle can make it difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance at times- especially when you are approaching a major client event in the calendar. It’s important to take breaks and time off to recharge and give your body a chance to relax. Remember, you can only give so much before you burn out.

At Verve, we have a social society whose sole purpose is to orangise activities and events for employees centered around wellbeing and entertainment. This ranges from International Women’s Day lunches to Bingo Loco nights out! Doing stress-free activities gives us a way to connect with one another off the clock and cultivate a culture of connection and bonding. 

When it comes to wellbeing, it is important to prioritise both your mental and physical health. Sometimes all it takes is stepping away from the laptop for a few minutes to move your body and clear your head. Getting out of a stressful environment, breathing in fresh air, and feeling your body move is a natural stress-reliever. Why not have a listen to a meditation while you are there? Here are some on Spotify  you can check out!

🔷 Create a culture of open communication

It’s vital to create an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their stress levels and mental health with their colleagues and supervisors from the top-level, down. Working in events can be a balancing act at times which can increase stress levels when there’s too much on your plate.

If you do find that you are multitasking a variety of clients and activations don’t be afraid to ask for help from your team. If you are feeling overwhelmed with tasks, write down a list of priorities and deadlines to give you more clarity and direction. Communicate these priorities to your leads so that there is a collective understanding and a chance for your team to offer their support. If you are in a management role, it is vital that you set realistic goals for your team and divide up tasks fairly. 

In conclusion, National Stress Awareness Month is an important reminder to prioritise mental wellness in the events and experiences industry. As a business, we recommend offering resources and promoting a culture of open communication. This can work to not only reduce the stress of your employees but can work towards role retention and cultivate a healthy and productive work environment. From the perspective of an employee, always remember to prioritise your wellbeing- because when you don’t, everything else slips. Go for that walk, colour code those to-do lists and lean on your team when needed!