Taking care of our mental health
(Image credit: Photo by Marcel Strauß on Unsplash)
It’s okay not to be okay sometimes.
As long as we acknowledge it, talk about it and do something about it.
Life gets busy and complicated at times.
We take on more than we can handle.
Work and personal lines get blurred.
Taking care of our mental health at home and in the workplace is important for people’s overall well-being.
Everyone deserves a healthy work environment where they feel valued and respected, are given the chance to flourish, and have the right resources when they need them.
Having a supportive and trustworthy relationship with managers who care and communicate empathetically, also makes all the difference in the world.
When employees are in good overall health and feel safe at work, they are more engaged, productive and go above and beyond to contribute to an organization’s success.
Although many employers fare well when it comes to implementing best practices in the workplace as it relates to health and well-being, there is always room for improvement.
Managers can be provided with education to recognize signs for employees who may be having challenges.
Employees also have a responsibility to take care of themselves and need to speak up if they are feeling stressed out or need help.
But the reality is, many don’t. Is it because they don’t want to be stigmatized or have a fear of being reprimanded for underperforming at times?
On the other hand, many do take control of their own situation.
Employees are putting their health and well-being at the forefront with a better work-life balance being a huge factor. Instead of settling for the status quo, they are finding another employer that’s more suitably aligned with their values and improved quality of life.
The global pandemic has and continues to have an effect on people’s mental health. Organizations are still feeling a significant impact with the shift to remote work arrangements, and they know that they need to do more to adapt to this reality. Flexible work is taking more precedence in labour negotiations as was recently observed in the federal workers settlement.
It’s no surprise that employees are an employer’s biggest investment, and work-life balance is a key driver for employee engagement and attraction and retention strategies.
Mental health awareness
Every May, mental health awareness is brought to the forefront although it’s something that should be prioritized all year round.
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) celebrated its 72nd annual Mental Health Week earlier this month. With their theme “my story,” CMHA believes that storytelling is a fundamental part of being human.
In alliance with CMHA, Life Works Well is also helping to shift attitudes and perceptions about mental health and foster well-being. We support organizations and businesses to create a heart-centred culture of understanding and acceptance in the workplace and in the community.
According to a recent survey conducted for the CMHA, almost 9 in 10 agree that people living in Canada should have access to universal mental health care. Here are other survey findings:
Of the 35% of people who have experienced a mental health concern in the past year, more than one third did not reach out for help primarily because it is too expensive or because they don’t know where to find it.
More than half of people living in Canada (57%) would access mental health care through a community organization with a free program.
Here are some of the other CMHA facts:
Everyone has mental health.
The presence or absence of a mental illness is not a predictor of good mental health.
Everyone deserves to have the right support and resources available to foster good mental health.
One-third of people in Canada will experience a mental illness or substance use disorder in their lifetime.
CMHA also suggests that individuals can take care of their mental health by building and nurturing support networks, identifying and feeling our emotions, moving our bodies or trying a new hobby or sport.
Other ways we can take better care includes practicing mindfulness and being kind to ourselves.
So true! You always hear the slogan be kind to others, but self kindness first and foremost is vital.
Creating psychologically healthy and safe workplaces
The Government of Canada shares these practices for employers to create a psychologically healthy and safe workplace to protect their employees:
Support employee participation and decision-making
Define employees' duties and responsibilities
Promote work-life balance
Encourage and model respectful behaviours
Manage workloads
Provide training and learning opportunities
Have conflict resolution practices in place
Recognize employees' contributions effectively
Calm Business, a global benefits wellness solution that supports mental health and builds resilience through clinically proven outcomes, shares this simple mental health literacy checklist:
Psychological safety
Create psychologically safe environments where employees can openly talk about their mental health.
Incorporate DEI practices when developing a psychologically safe workplace.
Model mental health practices yourself and be a role model for your team.
Team meetings
Start every team meeting with a short, guided meditation that you can do together.
Educate your team members on mental health literacy and provide them with resources so everyone can be better equipped to talk about mental health.
Encourage mindfulness activities like meditations, breathwork, gratitude journals, morning pages, midday walks, etc.
1:1 meeting
Have regular check-ins with employees and feel comfortable having mental health conversations
Put a recurring mental health check-in agenda for your meetings so you can ensure mental health is a priority
HR resources
Obtain resources from HR to enhance social and emotional skills
Consistently attend manager training to enhance your leadership skills and promote high quality relationships
Share mental health offerings with employees who need additional support
Check HR internal communications for the latest mental health offerings
Life works well when you do
We started a workplace health and wellness challenge this month as a way to bring awareness to the importance of mental health, to better engage with each other and support work-life harmony. Everyone is encouraged to take better care of their mental and physical health, share feelings when they are having a bad day, and to have some fun!
You are welcome to view our resources for healthy workplaces including practicing mindfulness, managing stress and benefits of sabbatical programs in the workplace. We have had some great collaborations as well with HR/other professionals during our Mentor Circles. Topics include mindfulness and self care, mental health and well-being for employees, giving yourself permission to feel, how to manage stress during difficult times, communicating with heart, and more.
During Mental Health Awareness Month, we can all do better to help reduce the stigma about mental illness by sharing stories, improving knowledge of services and programs, and making meaningful connections to help those in need. We can also consider giving back to the community by donating to a local or national mental health provider.
So, what are you waiting for? Do something good for your mental health and others!