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Don’t become overloaded, know the signs of pressure

It can be normal to experience pressure in your personal and work life, but it’s important to know your own signs of pressure so that you can address it before it builds. 

Man laying awake in truck cab

What is pressure? 

Let’s think about our mental health as if it were a truck and pressure as a load that increases as the pressure in your life builds. This pressure can come from a variety of different parts of your life, including work and home life. For some, this could be working long shifts, lack of sleep, or working away from your family – or it could be a combination of several different things.  

Now you can imagine that if you’re experiencing a lot of pressure, your truck’s going to become overloaded very fast. When the pressure gets too much and your truck is overloaded, you might start to notice some signs, such as changes in mood or how you’re feeling. You might notice yourself feeling exhausted, angry, anxious, sad, aggressive, frustrated, or unmotivated.

When you’re overloaded with pressure, this can also have an impact on personal and family relationships and your general wellbeing as well as your mental and physical safety out on the road. 

It’s important to know what the signs of pressure look like for you and to put your own strategies in place to take some of the load off your truck and your mental health. Here are some of our top tips: 

1. Reach out to a family member or mate that you trust.  

We get that talking about work and life pressure isn’t easy. Check out our Service Your Mind flyer for tips on choosing the right person to talk to and starting that conversation. 

2. Make time for the things you enjoy. 

What do you like to do to relax when you’re back home? Spending time with family and friends? Heading to the gym? Listening to music or reading a book? Prioritise setting aside some time to do the things you enjoy in your downtime. 

Truckie chatting with woman

3. Talk to a health professional 

Are you unsure of how to lighten the load and reduce the pressure? Talk to a health professional or use our eDirectory to search for “Heavy Vehicle” support services available to you. 

So what are you going to do to reduce your pressure? 

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