With enjoyable mental health, we have a sense of purpose, direction and energy to do the things we want to do together with the ability to deal with the challenges that happen in our lives.
Promoting a mentally healthy and safe workplace may be difficult for employers, but it doesn’t have to be.
Here are some strategies employees can implement to mitigate against mental health issues at their workplaces;
Talk about your feelings
Talking about your feelings can help you maintain your mental health and deal with times when you feel troubled. Talking about your feelings is a part of taking charge of your wellbeing and doing what you can to stay healthy.
Practice mindfulness
Recognize the signs of stress or anxiety building up. Relieve them by practicing yoga, for example, which can often ease depression and anxiety.
Keep active
Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and can help you concentrate, sleep, and look and feel better. Make physical activities that you enjoy a part of your day.
Bring healthy snacks
Balanced nutrition is always a mood booster. Avoid foods high in sugar that could lead to discomfort and crash at some point in time.
Ask for help
Sometimes we get overwhelmed by how we feel when things don’t go to plan. Some employers have employee assistance programme.
These services can be accessed free through occupational health support from your line manager.
Take a walk
For those with standard lunch hour or breaks, set aside that time to get outside. A few minutes of sun and light exercise could help you clear your mind.
Accept who you are
Feeling good about yourself boosts your confidence to learn new skills, visit new places and make new friends. Good self-esteem helps you cope when life takes a difficult turn.
Be proud of who you are and accept the things you may not be good at while focusing on what you can do well.
Get enough hours of sleep
Lack of sleep could have an effect on your productivity at work. To ensure you’re working to your full potential, make sure sleep is a priority.
Focus on Relationships
Create time to build positive relationships with your supervisors, peers or direct reports. Healthy relationships may allow you to share your thoughts and feelings more easily with those around you.
Support a colleague
In our conversations with people, we talk about life events or maybe breakups and it could mean a lot to a person having a tough time.
Such conversations start with asking someone how they are doing in a warm and way and giving them a chance to realise that you are being friendly.
