Mental health is a major issue in the workplace these
days. It’s a major issue everywhere.
This is a good thing, as mental health has been overlooked and misunderstood
for a very long time. We’re just starting
to understand what causes mental health problems and how they can affect people
personally and professionally. Having seen friends and colleagues laid low by
mental health and have little or no understanding of their condition shown by
their employees, some of whom think that they are simply ‘making it up’, and
are not really ill at all, it’s about time there was a change.
Just this morning, I was stopped in my tracks by anxiety,
immobilised by thinking about what I had to work on first, and for a while I couldn’t
do anything at all. Now, working for myself, you would think this is less of an
issue than if I was employed. Well, yes and no.
As I’m in the midst of setting up our business, there is the juggling
act between admin, promotion, and actually working. I’m very mindful of generating income all the
time, and that can cause stress, which can lead to anxiety, which can lead to
depression. And that’s when nothing gets
done. There are great organisations,
like Blurt, for example, who offer incredible support to those with mental
health problems. They offer practical
advice on how to cope with and raise awareness of them. We need more
organisations like Blurt.
So, where am I going with this? By writing about mental health in the workplace,
I hope I can raise a little bit more understanding and support for it and the
people that are affected by it. Just because someone appears okay whilst at
work doesn’t mean that they actually are.
Some people can function better with mental health problems than
others. When I was first diagnosed with
stress and anxiety 12 years ago, many people wouldn’t believe that I struggled
with them and that I had a history of depression. At that time, I could put on a front; seem
happy and confident, so that’s what people thought I was. Over the years, my depression has been better
and worse, and I am now fortunate to have a very understanding GP who has been
incredibly supportive. Not everyone is
this fortunate.
There is countless work days lost due to mental health
problems. Often, those with these
problems simply cannot get up when the alarm goes off and are pinned to the bed,
immobilised by depression. When they
talk to other people, they will often say they are fine, not wishing to upset
or make a fuss. People often cannot
understand problems like this, telling others to ‘pull themselves together’, ‘get
over it’ or ‘don’t let it get to you’… This doesn’t help. And this is where you come in. Don’t assume that everyone is okay, many of
us aren’t, but choose to hide it. If
someone seems unusually quiet or withdrawn, maybe ask if they’re okay. If they seem sad, offer a tissue and an ear
if you can. Talking about problems can
really help people, even if you don’t understand it yourself. Just listening to someone who is not okay is
an amazing thing to do. The more of us
that can do this for others, the less of a problem mental health at work can
become. That’s a really good thing for
all of us.
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