Articles

Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental health awareness month is a great time to reflect on what we are doing to keep our minds healthy. As leaders, it is also a perfect time to review what resources our organization is providing to employees to help foster their mental wellbeing. Are we giving it the same attention as we do to physical health? If we don’t approach mental health with the same open, curious, committed approach as we do physical health, we may be missing the key ingredient to overall wellbeing.

The last year has certainly presented its challenges to managing mental wellbeing. Mental health can be built and strengthened in many ways. Here are few suggestions:

• Develop a strong positive social network – a circle of trusted individuals who support us, cheer us, listen and accept us.
• Encourage self-growth - whether spiritual, intellectual, physical, or psychological, experiencing new things helps to expand our sense of self and develop a stronger identity and purpose.
• Build self-acceptance – look at yourself with an appreciation for strengths and uniqueness. Accept your faults and learn how to overcome them, leading to better emotional wellbeing, happiness, and life satisfaction.

Historically, any discussions surrounding mental health have been avoided due to the stigma associated with the topic. As a leader, following a few guidelines can help lessen the stigma:

• Stay connected with employees and encourage discussions. Whether it is a scheduled call or an impromptu walk by their workstation, say hello and show genuine interest in how their day is going.
• Treat everyone equitably and fairly, with respect and compassion. Regardless of what you know about them.
• Maintain a positive attitude. Model positivity, kindness, and compassion. Even little acts can have a big impact.
• Recognize and acknowledge teamwork, accomplishments, and positivity. Employees will feel accepted and be more productive when they feel appreciated.
• Ask for help. Team members and leaders typically want to contribute to the team’s success – asking is a good thing.
• Attend trainings to learn about physical and mental wellbeing. The more you know will help you and the rest of your team.
• Monitor your wellbeing including self-care and life balance. Successfully managing your own physical and mental health will demonstrate its importance and the rewards it can create. Practicing good nutrition, healthy exercise, mental breaks, and utilizing resources, such as EAP, are good places to start!

In addition, prioritize creating a culture that communicates that it is OK to ask for help. Your workplace culture should:

• Encourage employee breaks and times to connect
• Withhold judgment
• Provide reassurance and resources, like EAP, to partner with wellbeing initiatives
• Include leaders who listen with focused attention and allow troubled employees to speak without jumping in with solutions
• Encourage one step at a time in the right direction to better mental wellbeing, even if the “perfect solution” has not been identified
• Educate leaders and staff
• Promote your EAP
• Maximize your EAP’s technology to engage more employees with valuable services that promote mental wellbeing

 
Everyone experiences demand for their time and energy both on and off the job. In addition to their responsibilities at work, employees also seek to fulfill their family responsibilities, meet their financial obligations, enjoy personal interests, and maintain a healthy family and social life. The key to balancing it all is having access to the right tools, resources, and support.

Personal Assistance Service (PAS) is a life event EAP that helps with the human side of virtually any life need. Our exceptional customer service and success in improving the quality of life of those we serve has resulted in PAS’ 98% account retention rate. If you would like more information about PAS and how we can serve your organization and employees, please contact Lisa Paschke at [email protected].