Mental Health Awareness Week starts on 9th May and there has never been a better time to focus on supporting mental health at home and at work.
Mental Health At Work
Mental Health UK was formed when four charities from across the UK joined together 50 years ago, to support people with their mental health. There are approximately 7.5 million people in the UK living with a diagnosed mental illness, so it is vital for companies to ensure they have the right practices to keep employees happy and healthy.
Mental Health Awareness Week was started by this organisation to raise awareness for mental health issues in a professional environment, whilst also educating so that the practices can be brought further out into the world and impact more people positively. The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week this year is loneliness, so this can be a time to prioritise building meaningful connections with friends, family, and colleagues.
Talking Helps Mental Health
Having a structured wellbeing plan in place increases everyone’s knowledge and understanding of how to protect and maintain mental health. There is still work to be done by employers to ensure their staff are comfortable talking about mental health, as it is still seen as a taboo topic that is detrimental to work so often people are left to deal with it alone. It is true that mental health problems are a personal journey, and no one will be able to fully understand what you are going through, but that doesn’t mean they must be faced alone. There are many people across your peer group, local communities, professional services, and volunteer events that are willing to talk through any problems you might be facing.
It may seem like something trivial but talking about things has a significant and measurable effect on the human body. Fear, aggression, and anxiety are some of the stronger emotions that we feel and when they come the Amygdala is the part of the brain responsible for figuring out the nature of the threat and devising a response to it, as well as storing the solution in your memory so that you can recognise the threat later.
Research from U.C.L.A uses a process called ‘affect labelling’ to define putting your feelings into words. They claim that affect labelling can diminish the response of the Amygdala when you encounter stressful situations. Another argument they present is that you will be having negative feelings whether you express or suppress them so. Therefore why would you choose to spend more mental energy holding things in when it is taxing to the brain and body. Suppressing emotions also makes you more susceptible to getting sick or feeling worse than before.
It’s so much easier for someone to be sat in a comfortable space with someone they trust and vent about anything they are feeling. Vocalising is so crucial to the journey of mental health because half of the things we think up are completely ridiculous and once you say it out loud it can almost be comical how wrong we were in our own heads.
Supporting Mental Health
Workplaces have changed drastically since Covid. With a large number of home and hybrid workers, it’s more important than ever for employers to have a safe and healthy culture that allows people to open up about problems they are facing, without fear of judgement or embarrassment.
There are lots of ways that mental health culture can be improved, and we urge employers to review what they are doing to keep staff fulfilled, engaged and healthy. Coming out of lockdown gives us a great opportunity to refocus and review so that people can have a peaceful transition back to work free from stress and worry.
Useful links
https://www.discoveryourbounce.com/understanding-the-wellbeing-needs-of-your-organisation/
https://www.discoveryourbounce.com/how-to-create-an-effective-workplace-wellbeing-plan/
https://www.discoveryourbounce.com/five-ways-to-support-others-in-stressful-times/
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