Improve Mental Health This R U OK? Day
R U OK? Day is the perfect opportunity to centre yourself, connect with others in a beautiful community space, and come together to celebrate and promote mental health conversations.
A mentally healthy workplace is one that protects and promotes mental health and empowers people to seek help for depression and anxiety, for the benefit of the individual, the organisation and the community.
Here’s the 3 ways to improve workplace’s mental health:
1. Embed a Culture of Physical and Mental Health Safety and Well-Being
Ensure you have a good EAP system that is communicated well, encouraged and discussed with staff as acceptable, normalised and is useful in becoming a total well rounded human being. Encourage employees to raise issues with HR, OHS and/or EAP staff. Provide education and training on the difference between mental health and mental illness issues.
Provide education on Evidence Based Heath and Well-Being Strategies. Whilst physical health is vital, it is only one component of managing mind, body and emotions. Evidence based training on proper nutrition to sustain mental health, productivity, concentration and mental energy is critical. As is education on optimal sleep for fatigue prevention and breathing to manage our nervous systems and regulate the immune system.
2. Implement Mindfulness Based Training and Practice Strategies
Research on mindfulness in the workplace shows, mindfulness reduces stress, worry, and emotional reactivity, whilst increasing working memory, cognitive flexibility, self-awareness, ethical behaviour, relationship satisfaction and well-being.
Mindfulness trains us to become aware and reduce our negative brain bias. This can help significantly with our perception of the world, our place in it and our understanding of our strengths and resources approaching work and life with a greater state of equanimity and calm. Eight week evidence based mindfulness courses have been shown to significantly reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
3. Have a Conversation
Asking your colleagues if they are ok in an authentic and connected way is one of the most powerful ways to check in with people at work one on one. This may be a friend, mentor, boss or work colleague that you have developed a relationship with.
The aim of providing these event R U OK? Day was to let them know they are valued, and to encourage conversations between colleagues about mental health and wellbeing.
It is important that we provide opportunities to chat about how to have healthy conversations about mental wellbeing not just for R U OK? day but everyday.
What Can I Do about it?
As we approach R U OK? Day on September 10, we have countless stories of how someone asking “Are you OK?” to a stressed colleague has made a profound difference.
Here at Inbloom, we have been offering for many years an interactive 45 minutes R U OK? Workshop to support this important cause. This virtual workshop can literally save someone’s life; when pressure is high and you feel isolated, the darkest thoughts can emerge in your mind. We are committed to empower and educate people to take care of their mental health & wellbeing, whilst learning ways to support their colleagues who might be struggling.
KEY TAKE-AWAYS
Tools & Techniques to take care of your own mental health and wellbeing
The four conversation steps to give you the skills and confidence to navigate a conversation with someone you're worried about.
Resources to continue to develop a healthy workplace culture
Healthy workplaces exercises
We would love to help if we can, simply email us.
Reference:
Jennifer Bishop, Founder Mindful Life Training at Mindful Life Training