A WIMMERA mental health advocate says people need more awareness of managing stress in life and work.
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Healthy Minds Horsham committee member Gavin Morrow said stress has become a prominent problem in the region.
Mr Morrow said there was a known correlation between stress and mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and suicide. He said a person’s general health could also suffer when stress was not effectively managed.
Mr Morrow said suicide was an ongoing issue in the community that will not change unless people made a difference.
“I don’t think the community understands the significance of stress and what impact it has on us,” he said.
“There has to be a change to make a difference and we think reducing stress is the change that is needed.”
Mr Morrow said stress and mental health issues touched rural communities in a different way than metropolitan areas. He was concerned about the lack of services and support available to people who need help.
“We find a lot of people have difficulty talking, particularly farmers given that their location is very rural and remote,” he said.
“It is not easy for people living in rural locations to find someone to talk to whereas people living in metropolitan areas have more access to services that help reduce stress.
“Given our rural location, we tend to encourage groups like sporting clubs to be a space for people to go talk and wind down.”
While Mr Morrow has noticed more people talking about stress, he believed the issue has become worse.
“It is hard to gauge whether it is more people talking about it now or that there are more people stressed,” he said.
“I tend to think it is getting worse because our lives are more busier and we aren’t getting the relaxation time that gives our bodies a break.”
Mr Morrow said people from “all walks of life” have reached out to Healthy Minds Horsham for help from chief executive officers to school teachers and nurses.
“There is a wide spectrum of people affected by stress and we need to teach them how to handle it,” he said.
“It is not the same for every person because we are all wired differently. What one person finds stressful, another person won’t and we handle those situations differently.”
Mr Morrow said Healthy Minds Horsham has organised a mindfulness and emotional intelligence program that will teach people about practices for managing stress.
He said the eight-week practical program will start on February 26 and continues every Tuesday from 7pm.
Mr Morrow said people could contact him on 0418 504 985 to reserve a space.
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