While attitudes towards mental health have improved, there's still some work to arrive where society needs to get to. Here we look at how providing employees with a mental health toolbox can help them stay happy & balanced and how professional development courses can help staff feel comfortable discussing these issues.
Great strides have been made to raise awareness and make it easier for employees to talk about mental health issues. However, there's still a lot of negativity surrounding the subject, with even the term 'mental illness' having negative connotations. In this blog, we'll show how learning and development techniques like the 'mental health toolbox' can help your staff regulate these problems.
Employees need to know that having mental health issues of any kind is not a weakness or a flaw. Showing vulnerability is ok - regardless of gender - and psychological and physical wellness are inextricably linked, with neither being able to work correctly without the other. Everyone experiences some stress in their life, so the benefits of a toolbox like this are universal.
Learning to Spot the Triggers
The mental health toolbox is essentially a checklist that can help employees spot the triggers behind their emotions, which can be acknowledged and dealt with. Let's look at some common triggers that may cause team members to feel irritable, anxious or otherwise not quite feeling like themselves.
★ Poor sleep - when a person doesn't get a full 8 hours, they're not going to be at their best.
★ Excessive alcohol intake - if drinking more than usual, this can impact their wellbeing
★ Overworking - failing to take enough time away from work can be incredibly draining
★ Poor diet - as they say, you are what you eat, so a poor diet can make a person feel worse
★ Lack of exercise - not getting enough exercise can take its toll on mood and energy
This is an excellent basis from which to create a personal checklist. When sadness or anxiety starts creeping in, the mental health toolbox allows employees to audit their life by running down their list of triggers and taking the action they need to restore their physical and psychological health.
Taking the Appropriate Action
The appropriate action could be represented by improving diet, getting some exercise, ensuring enough sleep or indeed all three. It's about experimenting and seeing what works, and there may be a time when the best thing for a team member to do is take an extended break from work, which they should be encouraged to do.
The checklist allows employees to be emotionally expressive and connected to how they feel. It doesn't have to be having a significant crisis to use this technique either; it can be hugely effective at simply helping someone to remain balanced and content in their lives. People put their time and money into maintaining a car to ensure it doesn't break down, so why not the mind?
Learning And Development: The Key to Business Growth
Workplace mental health issues can be every bit as debilitating as physical ailments for your employees, which is why it's so important to raise awareness and create an environment where staff feel relaxed and comfortable talking about problems like these. This mental health toolkit is one of several techniques gained through flexible video-based online content from Learning Lounge.
Of course, from a human perspective, the happiness of your employees is paramount, but when you've got a contented team who aren't weighed down by negative emotions, they can be the best version of themselves. This makes them better at their jobs, more productive and able to help your business grow.
So, If you would like to know more about the full range of mental health learning and development options we offer at Learning Lounge, you should visit us today at www.learninglounge.online. There you'll find everything you need to know, as well as details about how to request your free info pack that contains our entire professional resource library, promotions, answers to FAQs and more.
Alternatively, to speak to a member of our friendly team about how our industry-leading online content can help your business grow, simply call us on 1300 611 404 today.