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Mental Health Awareness Week 2019

1 in 4 of us no matter who we are experience a mental health disorder in our lifetimes. Depression, Anxiety and many other mental health disorders can affect any one of us. Your neighbour, your mum, even your boss.  1/3 of our lives are spent at work so it’s important to look after our own mental health but also each other.  Simply taking time to talk one another could really make a difference to someone’s wellbeing.

Social Media Age

This year’s theme for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek is Body Image. Being social media experts, we recognise the growing impact it can have on negative body image. In the Social Media Age, we are bombarded by influencers pushing their ‘perfect’ lifestyle through the likes of Instagram which has been found to have a huge impact on self-esteem. Instagram recently removed the likes feature in the hope that users will stop basing their self-worth on how many likes they get. This shows how much people’s attitudes are changing and how organisations need to do more to help improve mental health.

Shining a Light on Mental Health in the Workplace

The workplace is often made up of a diverse range of people from different backgrounds who all have different experiences in every industry you find yourself in. However, we all share the same human experience including heartbreak, jealousy, regret, bereavement and many more.  Regardless of looming deadlines, projects or pressures from your managers or colleagues it’s important to put you and your mental health first. Mental health can be a very confusing topic for some as not everyone will always understand what the person is going through. However, don’t let this stop you from reaching out.

Don’t Suffer in Silence

Here at Get Your Mobi we recognise the importance of looking after one another and do what we can to help the invisible fight. We’ve put together a list of recommendations and tips to try and improve your workplace wellbeing.

Encouraging Others to Open Up

Opening up the discussion of mental health is vital to supporting yourself and your co-workers. Letting people know that there is help there if they need it could mean everything to them in times of crisis. All it takes is 10-15 minutes to sit someone down over a cup of tea and a biscuit to see how they’re getting on. Most of us nonchalantly ask how someone is in passing but putting extra effort in to ask how they really are is a great way of starting a support network.

If you’re wondering what more, you can do to help others – you might first want to try checking in on people you know and let them know you’re there if they need you.

Time and a Place

Someone dealing with a mental health issue may worry about how to tell someone at work of their problem and will often silently try to cope with it. In any industry, we know work can be incredibly stressful, so it’s important to tell people they’re not alone. Having a professional attitude in the workplace is ingrained in us from very early in our childhood and are often told to leave their problems at the door. However, taking on this attitude can be damaging and make some feel uncomfortable about sharing their problems. Employees may find it difficult to choose the appropriate time to talk. This can be tackled by arranging regular 1:1s or even team building activities. More information on mental health at work and what you can do can be found here.

Hitting Pause

Sometimes when things get a little too much what you really need is a rest. Taking a mental health day can be very beneficial as it gives you time to collect your thoughts and de-stress. Sometimes weekends can be spent just worrying and stressing and are usually gone in a flash. However, if your physical health deteriorated you would take action to get help and treatment so you can get better. So, the same can be said if your mental health starts to suffer.

Talking to management can be the first step on the road to recovery. The company you work for has a duty of care to make sure you’re in a happy working environment. Shop owners will tell you if you’re under attack from an armed robber not to sacrifice yourself for the sake of stock that can be replaced as your life is more important. The same can be said for when your mental health is under attack, don’t try to tackle it alone. Your wellbeing has a direct impact on job performance and is worth more to them than anyone struggling to cope that could potentially harm themselves. You are more than deadlines, you are more than your work.

Our advice is to show solidarity with each other and take the time you need and know there is help available.

There are many different resources available to you if you feel like you need it. For example, there’s apps, websites, online counselling and many more to provide you with needed support. If you feel like you may struggle to open up at work, then please don’t hesitate to contact or use some of the links below for free impartial advice.

https://www.mind.org.uk/

https://www.mentalhealthatwork.org.uk/toolkit/

https://www.samaritans.org/ or call 116 123