Mental Health
I attended a mental health awareness training for managers last week. And I'm concerned.
My main reason for joining was to improve my awareness of mental ill health in the workplace and expand my toolkit for supporting my team and clients.
What I got was much more than this. I was in a class of 15 people - around one third had close experience of mental ill health. The stories we shared about family and friends moved us all.
And look at these stats...
1 in 4 of us will suffer from mental ill health this year
1 in 6 people in employment are currently experiencing a mental health problem
1 in 10 of us will experience anxiety (medically diagnosed)
1 in 5 of us will suffer from depression
So the purpose of this weeks blog is to talk about some of my learnings from the workshop, to help you support your own and others mental health.
Here's some practical ideas:
1) If a colleague is behaving out of character, ask them about it. As a leader, you should start the conversation - people are often hoping you will raise it so they don't have to.
A good conversation could include sharing an example from your own experience - this isn't about you so try not to waffle on - just a short personal story could help the other person feel more comfortable.
If they don't want to talk about it that's fine too. Just make sure they know you're available and happy to speak to them if they change their mind.
2) If someone has an explosive reaction, it's unlikely that the current situation is the root cause. People can become a ticking time bomb - stress layers up and they get more and more frustrated. The 'trigger' for them to let loose could be as simple as the printer not working.
Keep an eye out for unusual emotional reactions and try a phrase like 'This isn't how you normally react to XYZ, is there something else going on that you'd like to talk about?'
3) Know what support your employer makes available. One of the benefits of large corporates is they often pay for staff services to give quick access to health advice and services. Have a look at your work benefits. This isn't just for you - it's so you can share details with a colleague in future.
4) Improve your awareness of your own mental health. If you're concerned about your mental health, you could talk to a friend, a hotline like Mind, or visit your GP. Or I'm happy to talk to you. I have no medical training but I care and I'm happy to listen to you. There is support there for you - you don't have to go it alone.
So the training I joined has had a big impact on me this week. And I believe that if everyone builds their awareness, we can improve both our own and our colleagues wellbeing. What action can you take this week?
P.S. I'd like to boost awareness and understanding of mental health further. I'm interested to hear about your experiences, any resources you've found interesting or helpful. Hit reply and let me know.
