Mental well-being at work for individuals (part 1)

 

Much work has been done to help remove stigma, however many of us still don’t like talking about our mental health. We may feel embarrassed or worried that we will be judged or people will think we can’t cope.

The truth is we all have mental health and we all sometimes experience poor mental health. Our mental health is something that is constantly changing and one day it can be good and another day not so good. Every single one of us has experienced stress or felt anxious about something, and this is perfectly natural. In fact, we need a certain amount of stress and pressure to perform well.

Normally we bounce back from situations that have caused us stress but sometimes it’s more difficult. In these circumstances, or when we have experienced prolonged periods of stress, we may start to suffer symptoms of stress which can lead to mental ill-health.

Given the massive link between stress and poor mental health, a great way of achieving good mental health is to manage our stress.

Most of the negative stress we experience is created by our own mind. We get stressed because we believe that we don’t have the resources available to us to meet the demands placed upon us. It’s therefore our thoughts around a situation or event that often causes the stress rather that the situation or event itself.

But, if we learn to manage our thoughts, we can also manage our stress. Mindfulness is a great way of achieving this, it’s like a gym for the mind.

Being aware of our stressors and symptoms of stress can help identify when things are getting too much. We are all individuals and what stresses one person out may not stress another. Similarly, when it comes to experiencing symptoms of stress one person may become quiet and withdrawn and another may become loud and argumentative. It is therefore the changes in our own and other’s behaviour that we need to be aware of.

In the next blog we will cover how to relieve stress and what helpful coping mechanisms we can incorporate into our everyday life.

In the meantime, here are some links to sites providing help and support if you need it.

www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/stress    |    www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health    |    www.mind.org.uk/information-support

 

Download the full slideshow here                              Listen to the podcast here