How to look after your mental health at work?
However, if you are struggling with your mental health then you may find that you feel overwhelmed, stressed and even depressed about things that are happening in your life. You may find that it is difficult to do things that you may otherwise be able to do, and this can have an impact on a variety of aspects of your life.
Unfortunately one of these areas that it can have an impact on is your work. We all want to make sure that we do our best during our working day, but you may find that your mental health problems mean that you are unable to do this.
So, with this in mind, we are going to look at the ways that mental health issues can be supported within the workplace.
Reasonable adjustments
When you think of reasonable adjustments within a workplace, chances are that you think of those who have physical disabilities. However, these adjustments can also cover those who have mental health problems too.
There are a number of reasonable adjustments that can be made to support mental health in the workplace. One is to allow them to alter their working pattern. It could be that they come in later or finish earlier, or it could mean that they are allowed to travel before a meeting or event to avoid early morning travel. You could also provide the person with the means to work remotely, which allows them to still work, yet not go into the office when they are feeling particularly unable to travel.
Offering support to a colleague
Whilst it is important that a company looks after the mental health of their staff, colleagues can also help one another out if they suspect that they have some difficulties when it comes to their own mental health. One of the hardest things to do is discuss mental health, however, talking is also one of the best ways to improve mental health too.
So, how do you even start to talk about mental health? The best thing to do is to ask how someone is doing, in a warm and friendly way. They will need to feel that you are genuinely concerned for them and that you are able to listen. If they want to talk, then it is important that you find the right time and place for this. You don’t want to rush them, and you won’t want to do it in a place that is going to feel too public.
Once you are settled down to talk then it is time to practice some active listening. To do this you need to be able to maintain eye contact and be open with your body language. Don’t try to pry or press them. Let them tell you as much as they want and ensure that they feel that you have listened and taken on board their issues.
It may sound simple, but being able to listen to someone when they are struggling with their mental health is important. It may make the difference between them feeling alone whilst they are work, and that they have support. Which can go a long way to helping them to improve their own mental wellbeing.