Stress At Sea - 5 Courses To Help Beat Stress & Anxiety On Ships

Enough has been said on the topic of stress and its effects on seafarers at sea. Several studies have depicted how stress and anxiety are taking a major toll on the mental health of seafarers.

Working at sea is challenging both physically and mentally. Seafaring is one of the oldest professional and no doubt seafarers are tough beings with high tolerance levels.

However, over the last few years, maritime professionals have been subjected to additional work-related stresses mainly because of stringent laws and regulations and all the paperwork and formalities that come along with them.

A recent study conducted by Yale university came as a shocker when 20% of the seafarers involved in the study reported that they had contemplated suicide or self-harm at some point in time.

Though there are several techniques known to seafarers to fight stress, most of them provide a temporary solution. The right way would be to first understand the science behind stress and how our brains work, followed by learning techniques to manage such stress levels.

It is high time that shipping companies and Maritime authorities give more importance to the mental health of seafarers through adequate training along with bringing in some fundamental changes in the way the shipping industry operates.

Needless to say, such major change is going to take some time, and until then it is the responsibility of seafarers to fight the menace of stress and anxiety on their own by learning about tools and techniques which are easy to learn and follow when at sea.

In this article, we have mentioned five online courses that can help you to manage and fight stress at sea.

1. 40+ Easy Ways To Deal With Stress

This course is right there at the top because of several reasons, but the main one is that it explains the science behind the stress in humans.

See, there are a lot of courses online which tells about the symptoms and then offer general solutions.

But “Stress Management: 40+ easy ways to deal with stress” is a highly practical course which talks about the science behind the course supported by prominent researches from universities such as UCLA and NYU.

This is not just a theoretical course to manage stress but it’s a product of dozens of interactive workshops to help real people deal with a variety of pressure and stress.

Why is this course useful for maritime professionals?

– It explains stress scientifically and provides information on different types of stress, which is important to understand what kind of stress you are mainly dealing with

– Helps to manage personal and professional stress through various strategies, which are helpful in keeping stress levels under control

– It is an interactive course, which encourages to give ideas and examples which helps in defining final outcome of the course

Know more about the course here

2. Manage Workplace Stress And Strike A Balance

In order to resolve issues related to stress, it is important to know the reasons behind it first.

When at sea, there is a very thin line between professional and personal life. Seafarers are always surrounded by work or have work on their mind. There is no real detachment from work even for a few hours. This takes a major toll on one’s emotional health and it is, therefore, important to draw a line whenever possible.

This course specifically deals with managing workplace stress by identifying and understanding the causes of stress.

A good way to deal with stress is to recognise the signs and accepting the situation that you in. Most of the times several seafarers take it as a way of life and are always in a state of denial, which eventually might lead to a nervous breakdown.

Therefore it is very important to manage and reduce your stress by reading the signs and breaking the cycle.

And one important way of doing this is through striking a balance between work and life.

Why is this course useful for maritime professionals?

– Most of the times seafarers don’t know they are in stress. This course will help in understanding and managing stressful situations.

– Many people believe that working hard and being in “always-on” mode is necessary to achieve success. Now though working hard is important, having time to unwind and destress is also important to maintain one’s sanity.

– Understand the neuroscience behind stress and learn techniques to reduce stress and bring the body back to a relaxed state.

Click here to know more about the course

3. 77 Stress Bursting Tools & Strategies

There is one thing to learn from an expert and it is a totally different thing to learn from someone who has been diagnosed with stress, anxiety and depression all at the same time and came out from it stronger than before.

The 77 Stress Bursting Tools & Strategies is a power-packed practical course containing 77 stress-busting exercises, tools and techniques for better management of stress.

If you are one of those who want to improve their lives, live on their own terms and manage the stress levels effectively, then this course is defiantly for you.

Why is this course useful for maritime professionals?

– As a seafarer at sea, you do not have access to doctors and professional help. If you are dealing with any kind of anxiety or stress it is important that you take care of yourself at the right time and in the right way. It is during such conditions that the exercises and techniques mentioned in this course can be extremely useful

– When at sea, it is important to stay away from professional politics which can add to the stress. But it is not possible to stay away from stress completely, and therefore finding ways to live happy, healthy and more relaxed life is important.

Click here to know more about the course

4. Stress Management – For Relief From Stress of Life & Work

We all have been in situations wherein some external stimuli forces us into a vortex of thoughts which are difficult to escape. Sometimes, these nagging thoughts and worries are so strong that they are difficult to get rid of, which eventually leads to stress and anxiety.

Seafarers are often stressed not just from work issues when at sea but also from personal issues which they have left behind at home.

It is a helpless situation wherein you cannot be at home to resolve the pending issues, and instead have to deal with the professional load without much emotional support or help.

As seafarers, we all want more emotional freedom and control of life and thus this course is extremely helpful.

Why is this course useful for maritime professionals?

– Stress and anxiety can bog seafarers down more than they can imagine. This course contains cutting edge tools and strategies to beat stress at sea

– Learn to be your own help at sea by using proven methods which will help to escape negative situations quickly.

Click here to know more about the course

5. Master Anxiety And Stress – A Practical Approach To Achieving Joy And Control

A ship can be an intimating place to work with more than one can handle. Most of the seafarers are always counting days to sign-off not just because the ship is a hard place to live but mainly because working with the same set of people over an extended period of time can become mentally taxing.

Master Anxiety and Stress offers practical tools and techniques for reducing anxiety and increasing happiness. It does not focus on counselling methods but provides 100% practical tool and techniques to overcome stress.

Learn from real-life examples that have helped several people achieve calm and happiness by overcoming fear and getting rid of negativity.

Why is this course useful for maritime professionals?

– In spite of trying best, seafarers have to deal with negative and toxic people which not only spoil their productivity but also ruin their peace of mind. This course offers how to deal with such people and avoid them taking control of their minds

– There are several days at sea when seafarers feel overwhelmed with anxiety and high levels of stress or pressure. This course provides ways to adopt practical changes to pursue a life of happiness and control.

Click here to know more about the course

Over to you..

What is the best way according to you to fight stress at sea?

Disclaimer: The views mentioned above are of the author only. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Marine Insight do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader.

The article or images cannot be reproduced, copied, shared or used in any form without the permission of the author and Marine Insight.

About Author

Raunek Kantharia is a marine engineer turned maritime writer and entrepreneur. After a brief stint at the sea, he founded Marine Insight in 2010. Apart from managing Marine Insight, he also writes for a number of maritime magazines and websites.