Stress is a natural response to perceived threats and can manifest both physically and mentally. Managing our stress level and identifying potential threats to our mental wellbeing has become increasingly essential to ensure personal health, relationship quality, professional performance, and broader societal well-being. With that in mind The Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp) recognizing the importance healthy living and health management, recently organized a medical webinar titled “Understanding Stress: Managing PTSD and Anxiety.”
This online session aimed to shed light on the subject, guiding industry professionals in understanding stress, managing PTSD and Anxiety, identifying it, it’s causes, and of course managing it.
The session was opened by PenOp’ s Human Resources Associate, Eunice Akinboade, while Adaobi Okoye, the Training and People lead highlighted the importance of understanding stress and how it is imperative to learn to manage it, to function optimally both at work and in our everyday life. Also, the CEO of PenOp, Oguche Agudah also emphasized the need for managing stress and PTSD as mental health discuss has become a regular topic in the workplace and enjoined attendees to maximize the webinar opportunity. The online session had over 360 pension professionals in attendance.
Facilitated by Dr Damilola Agboyinu, a medical doctor and Healthcare and Policy Management Professional. who has over 7 years of extensive experience in the field of clinical practice, drug abuse counselling and education, He has also worked in various capacities, including clinical settings, rehabilitation centers and the Healthcare Industry at large, facilitated the webinar. Dr. Damilola outlined what mental health is, Anxiety, factors affecting mental wellbeing, the relationship between stress and anxiety and how to manage them.
Delving deeper into the topic, Dr. Damilola stated that poor mental health develops from distress, difficult experiences or difficult feelings that go on for a long time and affect our ability to enjoy our lives the way we want to. He highlighted the factors that can contribute to a negative mental health which are cultural factors, physical health, environmental and social factors, historical factors (family, previous mental illness), spiritual wellbeing and economic & political system.
Addressing stress management, Dr. Damilola explained that the way we respond to stress makes a big difference to our overall wellbeing. He also highlighted the positive aspect as stress responses help your body adjust to new situations, keeping us alert, motivated and ready to avoid danger.
Dr. Damilola went through the cause of PTSD, explaining that exposure to a stressful event or situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature and the persistent remembering or reliving these stressors is what results in PTSD. He also emphasized that learning from an event or electronic exposure can qualify as a traumatic event, i.e. witnessing it occurring to someone else or learning about a traumatic event that happen to someone else.
Inconclusion, the knowledge sharing session equipped attendees with practical ways to identify and understand stress and PTSD as well as proactive ways in managing them in order to promote a well-rounded social and professional lifestyle.
