On July 3rd, IRD’s psychological trainer, Dr. Azad Ali, trained IRD employees working on the Syria-Iraq Regional Assistance (SIRA) program in Erbil in key psychosocial issues and techniques for reducing stress in the workplace. In this six-hour session, employees learned skills they can use on their own to improve their overall well-being.
Twenty-four employees participated in the session, which included workshops on the symptoms and impacts of stress, coping mechanisms like breathing techniques and progressive muscle relaxation, and a final discussion and evaluation. Most of the attendees actively participated in each section of the workshop. One M&E staff member stated, “I learned new techniques for stress management that I have been able to use after the training.” To his own surprise, Dr. Azad noticed that the staff was fully engaged throughout the workshop. Another M&E staff member said, “Before I was not aware that I was that stressed and didn’t know stress could cause so much damage to my body.”
At the end of the workshop, participants completed an evaluation to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the training program and the remaining needs of IRD staff to support the development of similar activities in the future. Overall, the majority of IRD staff found the workshops very helpful.
“My feelings before the workshop were connected to the sources of stress – the bad circumstances that we live in. I mean the violence in Iraq, family and work responsibilities, and losing someone you love. It is easy to overlook your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that contribute to your stress levels as most of the sources of stress still exist. I may still feel somewhat stressed, but I am better than before,”
said a member of the finance team who also reported that he continues to use progressive muscle relaxation and abdominal breathing to reduce stress. Another SIRA program team member expressed feeling more relaxed and motivated because “the training was a good experience to learn how to control yourself in bad and good times at work.” Logistics staff members wanted more sessions conducted in the near future to continue learning and practicing stress relief techniques.
