Resources to help accountants facing mental health challenges.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented and wide-ranging impact on people’s lives, and undoubtedly one of the most critical areas has been mental health, with many reporting feeling anxious, overwhelmed or depressed as a result.
Whilst in a normal environment mental resilience is part of every practitioner’s toolbox when it comes to dealing with clients, meeting deadlines or making sense of new and constantly changing tax reporting regulations, the pandemic has added a new layer of uncertainty around much more fundamental aspects of public practice, such as the future of clients’ businesses and new ways of working for practitioners post pandemic. Keeping your staff morale up is also very important and hence any support that you can provide for your staff will be an investment in your practice’s future.
Our emotional response to challenges brought on by Covid-19 is specific to each of us but whatever the personal impact, dealing with fear, anxiety or overwhelm is often a matter of acknowledging and reframing the problem and then approaching it in a way that is less destructive and less damaging to us. It is not easy to do it alone.
Below we share a range of resources that may help you and your colleagues deal with any mental health challenges:
Anxiety UK works to relieve and support those living with anxiety disorders by providing information, support and understanding via an extensive range of services.
Breathing Space is a free, confidential phone and web-based service for people in Scotland experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety. It is here in times of difficulty to provide a safe and supportive space by listening, offering advice and information.
Depression Alliance can assist people affected by depression. It has a national network of self-help groups and operate a pen-friend scheme. It also speaks for people with depression and lobbies government to influence policy making in this mental health field.
Sidebyside is a supportive online community where you can be yourself, and is run by Mind, which also provides confidential mental health information services.
Samaritans provides confidential, non-judgemental emotional support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair.
