Taking care of your mental health is just as important as your physical health! Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have had the opportunity to work remotely from the comfort of their home. This change offered a new vision of mental health awareness within the workforce and an opportunity to put mental health needs first. Entrepreneurs have found benefit than mental health days offer your employees the opportunity to recover from a stressful week and come back energetic and productive.
Rebecca Peterson, director of House of Mercysays that to make mental health a priority, you need self-awareness to let your employer know what you need.
“It really requires each and every one of us to know ourselves and have that awareness,” Peterson says. “That awareness to recognize whether or not things are going well for you, or if there are additional stresses and symptoms that need more attention.”
asking for accommodation
When you enter your first job or a new job, employers often ask if there are any accommodations you need. If those accommodations are related to mental health, how can someone comfortably convey that to their supervisor?
“First, I suggest you find out what level of support you have from your already onboarding employer,” says Peterson. “What do you have with benefits, employee assistance programs, or other options for more formal mental health therapy? From there, if you have a doctor or therapist you’re working with, make sure your supervisor knows what that looks like; that accommodation might be that you need to leave early on certain days for therapy or work from home. Don’t be afraid to ask!”
breaking the stigma
As you become more open and honest about your mental health, it’s important to keep in mind that getting help doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. Steps taken to improve your mental health are positive and can benefit you more when you look at them from a positive perspective.
“Unfortunately, the stigma is very real and prevents people from seeking help,” says Peterson. “Mental health is a continuum, and at any point in life you can experience some symptoms from that. It’s something we all go through and the more we talk about mental health, the more we can help break down the stigma.”
But Peterson says the work doesn’t stop just by having a conversation: action is needed.
Mental health problems are not always visible. It can be especially difficult in the workforce for a supervisor to notice this in an employee, but even more difficult for that employee to talk about what has been going on. This is how you can start the conversation:
“Make it part of your regular meetings: Check in with each other and ask how you’re doing,” says Peterson. “Some of those conversations may be more private, but those connections are key to being able to help each other.”
Work-life balance
Sometimes it can be hard to remember that you have other things to do besides work, especially if you have a very demanding job. However, being able to balance your work and personal life is important to take care of your mental health.
“In therapy, we talk a lot about how to approach and develop your toolbox of different skills to learn what works best for you,” says Peterson. “One of my favorite resources is Burnout: the secret to unlocking the cycle of stress because talks a lot about how doing something for your body to release that stress can break the cycle. It will look different for everyone, but connecting mind and body to find balance and release will go a long way.”
Start this discussion by asking yourself “What does balance look like for me?” It will look different for each of us and may change over time, but the key is to come up with a plan that you will implement and share it with those around you to hold each other accountable.
