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What’s on your ‘to do’ list this week? Revisit the strategy? Review your budget actuals against planned? Develop your people? How about strengthen your mental wellbeing?

Not that last one? Mmm, that could be the most important of the lot.

Why focus on mental wellbeing?

According to the charity Mind, Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year, and, in England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week. Chances are, someone in your team considers themselves to have a mental health problem so that’s a good reason to read on, even if you don’t consider you have one yourself. 

Ten years ago, mental health was not often talked about in the workplace, and if you felt you had a mental health issue you likely wouldn’t have discussed it with a co-worker. Fortunately, the stigma attached to mental health issues is diminishing as more people talk openly about their experiences and help to normalise them.

I’ve had my own mental health issues in the past and was fortunate to find help for them from traditional routes like GP and Company Health Helpline. At the time, a reactive approach to helping someone ‘recover’ from issues was more prevalent than proactive measures to help individuals to maintain strong mental health. Today, more is known about ways in which we can have a positive impact on our own mental health with more research taking place.

So what can you do to ensure you are mentally healthy? Here are my suggestions on how to ensure your mental health is in tip-top condition:

1. Tap into your motivation

You may not be aware that leadership and management are key to promoting good mental health at work. In order to protect and enable the health and wellbeing of employees, it is important, in part to have senior managers who are role models and lead by example. whether you recognise you perform better when feeling mentally strong or you want to be that positive role model for your team, find your motivation for keeping your mental health high on your ‘To do’ list. Without such clarity on motivation, you risk putting off mental health for another day until potentially it becomes an urgent issue requiring reactive measures.

2. Know yourself

Take time to consider how you know you are on top form. How would you describe yourself when you feel mentally at your best? Make a note of the key characteristics. Is it about being relaxed and at ease? Are you patient and a good listener? Do you feel as if you are extremely focused and sharp when working? Knowing what good looks like for you then helps you to understand what the tell-tale signs are that you are a little under par in terms of mental health. While I would encourage you to maintain mental health continuously, it is important to know when you really may need to do something to catch yourself before losing your healthy state.

3. Check in regularly
   

    
   

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The likelihood is that you review key performance indicators for your area of ownership on a regular basis. How about KPIs for your mental health?  Use a check-list and record your results with time and date. Decide how often you will repeat and then set events in your diary to make sure that you keep it up and can check the trend. One readily available check is the NHS mood assessment which can be completed online and includes links to on-line resources that can help.

4. Do what strengthens

There are a number of ways in which you can support yourself to maintain good mental health. Three of these include:

Be Active – Evidence shows that there is a link between being physically active and good mental wellbeing. Find physical activities that you enjoy and think about how to fit more of them into your daily life. Simple outdoor activities such as walking, digging and planting have been found to increase self-esteem and help people feel grounded. Find more information on the benefits of being active for mental wellbeing from NHS Health.

Connect with people – A good support network of colleagues, friends and family can ease any work troubles and help you see things in a different way. Occupational Health expert, Professor Cary Cooper says: “If you don’t connect with people, you won’t have support to turn to when you need help,”. Building stronger, wider social connections can help us feel happier and more secure, and give us a greater sense of purpose. “How to” tips from NHS Health.

Help others – Evidence shows that people who help others, through activities such as volunteering or community work, become more resilient and happier, in part because it provides perspective. Giving to others and co-operating with them can stimulate the reward areas in the brain, creating positive feelings. If you don’t have time for volunteering, try to do someone a favour every day. It can be something as small as getting the coffees for colleagues. More tips on ways to do things for others from NHS Health.

Finally, MIND state that “We won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect.” This is an admirable aim for those already experiencing mental health problems.

My challenge to you? What might your aims be with respect to influencing positive mental health for those that you work with? I’d love to hear them.