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<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMaintaining mental health in today’s age can be tough for employees. Business moves fast, and those who aren\u2019t quick enough can end up being left behind, resulting in feelings of stress and overwhelming anxiety. This situation can be exasperated for people who are employed by business owners and managers who don\u2019t understand or empathize with mental health stressors.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
But what exactly is mental health, and how can organizations help employees who are suffering? This question will be answered here today. In addition, we\u2019ll be exploring the stress response, tips for how to identify stress reactions, how to build a tool kit to help employees cope with stress better, and some effective breathing and long-term exercises to maintain mental health.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What Is Mental Health?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Mental health<\/a> is a broad term that refers to any and all issues that affect a person’s mind. The World Health Organization (WHO), describes mental health as, \u201ca state of well-being in which an individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to their community.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Mental health and physical health are similar, and in many ways, they\u2019re linked. Like physical health, mental health is ever-changing. One day, a person can feel mentally healthy and the next, they can feel like they\u2019re going crazy. The times we live in feel chaotic at times. Social media constantly alerts us with upsetting news, and it\u2019s common for people to feel uncertain about many things like violence, war, racism and much more.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Why Is It Important for Organizations to Be Aware of Mental Health?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Imagine that an employee is going through a tough time. They\u2019ve recently lost a close relative or friend, and they\u2019ve fallen into rumination and a negative mindset. Without proper coping skills, they could lose track of their own health, ultimately resulting in lower productivity. This a only one example of how mental health can impact a workplace.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What Is Stress?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Stress and mental health go hand in hand. But what exactly is stress? Like mental health, it\u2019s a broad term. WHO describes stress as, “the reaction people may have when presented with demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope.”\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The fact is that adults feel stress<\/a> all the time, whether they have a name for it or not. However, there are two types of stress: healthy and unhealthy. Let\u2019s first talk about healthy stress.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Human beings thrive and feel most comfortable sticking to routines. So, when something disrupts a person’s routine, they tend to feel stress. A person stepping out of their comfort zone, for example, causes stress, but it\u2019s a healthy kind of stress. Healthy stress doesn\u2019t feel too overwhelming.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n On the other hand, unhealthy stress is when an individual feels like there is nothing that can be done. It\u2019s general hopelessness. This happens more often when a person doesn\u2019t have sufficient coping skills, or when their coping skills don\u2019t work well with the adversity they\u2019re facing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Stress Response and Its Importance in the Workplace<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Stress response refers to how we, as individuals, respond to stress. Stress response takes on many forms, but the most common is fight or flight. If you\u2019ve ever been in a frightening position when the uncertainty of something important was overwhelming, then chances are you felt this fight or flight response.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Let\u2019s break it down. \u2018Fight,\u2019 in fight or flight, means to remain and fight whatever it is you\u2019re up against. \u2018Flight,\u2019 on the other hand, means to run away and evade. This response doesn\u2019t have to be to something physical. It also applies to emotional issues, too. The stressors (things that trigger a fight or flight response) are not always life-threatening. For example, if you have a fear of public speaking, then that could be a simple stressor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This is important in the workplace because a stress response could be unpleasant. An employee that is feeling too stressed, could cause a scene by yelling, cursing or breaking things. Another employee could shut down and lose motivation for work productivity. The point is, every employee may have a different response, so it\u2019s good to check-in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Strategies to Help Your Employees Lessen and Cope With Stress<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Your employees must understand how stress affects them, but it\u2019s even more important that they have strategies to cope with stress<\/a>. This toolkit should help. When you meet with employees, see if they have long-term and short-term coping skills and if they don\u2019t, then provide them with some or all of the following strategies.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Some techniques in the toolkit go well with journaling, so whether employees would like to write on their phone or paper, have them consider journaling their progress. It can help them find patterns and make adjustments.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Breathing and Mindfulness<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Breathing exercises are the first in the toolkit. These exercises work to reduce stress because they help people focus on the present moment<\/a> and disengage them from their limbic system, also known as the emotional brain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n One idea is to suggest a short regular group \u201cbreathwork session\u201d to your leaders. Perhaps 3-5 minutes after lunch is a good place to start. Use one or all of the following breathing techniques:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Have leaders and employees note how they feel afterwards to discover which breathing exercise best works for them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Encourage Work-Life Balance<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Providing helpful tools for work-life balance<\/a> will most likely bring you the employee of the year award. One way to make a huge impact on the mental health of your employees is to help them keep their bodies healthy through exercise and healthy dieting. Mental health affects the body, but it goes the other way. too. The way we treat our bodies can be reflected in our mental health.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.knowledgecity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/shutterstock_670178599-1024x683.jpg\")
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