5 Tips for a Healthy Mind in the Workplace

May 9, 2017

5 Tips for a Healthy Mind in the workplace.

As part of #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, we’re looking into Mental Health and it’s important in the workplace.

In this first article, we explore what is ‘Mental Health’, why Mental Health is so stigmatised and what you can be doing right now to help yourself and others!

What is Mental Health?
The World Health Organisation defines ‘Health’ as – the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

This is a definition which has stood the test of time, it was first coined in 1948.

Being nearly 70-years-old, the definition recognises the need for “mental wellbeing”.

And further, the practice of psychiatry has been around for a long, long time.

This means that we recognise the need to care for and treat individuals, with Mental Disorders or Learning Disabilities, and we have done for years. Looking after our mind is important, and we know it!
So why is Mental Health still so stigmatized?
You wouldn’t go into a general hospital every time you got a cold, or a hayfever attack (a trip to the pharmacy will do);

We need to move towards a world that recognises Mental Health conditions in the same way. That is, recognised as important and that they require proper treatment.

Illness in any other organ in the body – other than the brain – garners feelings of sadness and sympathy. However, if someone was brave enough to say that they were struggling mentally – this is easily misunderstood, misconstrued and quickly waved off.

Why is that the case? Maybe because you can’t see Mental Health.

Just because illnesses are invisible, doesn’t mean they’re not there!

What can we be doing about it?
At Healthcare Recruitment UK, we are trying to spread awareness through considering the impact and importance of Mental Health in the workplace.

We loved this list, from the Mental Health Charity, Mind. These are some quick tip that might help us look after ourselves and each other.

 

5 Things we need for a Healthy Mind

Connect
Feeling close to, and valued by, others is a fundamental human need. Social Relationships are a pre-requisite of mental wellbeing.

Try:
Why don’t you try speaking to someone where you might’ve sent an email? Talk to someone new at work? Give a colleague a lift to work or share the journey with them.

Be Active
We don’t need to recycle the benefits of regular physical activity!

Try:
Taking the stairs not the lift, going for a walk at lunchtime, parking further away than normal or walking over to someone’s desk instead of calling or emailing.

Be Mindful
Taking notice can strengthen and broaden awareness.

Regular meditation and mindfulness practices teach us to savour being ‘in the moment’ and directly promotes well-being.

Try:
Getting a plant for your workspace, having a clear the clutter day, taking notice of how a colleague is feeling or acting, take a different route on your journey to or from work, visit a new place for lunch and enjoy the moment!

Keep Learning
Continued learning shows the practice of setting goals and learning, has been strongly linked with overall well-being.

Try:
Make it your mission to find out something about your colleagues, and make sure you care about it, try signing up for a class, read a new book and try to learn something new, to research something you’ve always wondered about.

Give
This one is simple: Individuals who report a great interest in helping others are more likely to rate themselves as happy.

Why don’t you try a simple act of kindness today?

We will be back later in the week, with a more in depth look on what we need to be doing as employers, as employees and as colleagues, to promote a happy, healthy, effective working environment!

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