Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but at ON Point we know first-hand this is an issue that impacts countless people on a daily basis and all year long. Pam Borton is one of only a few thousand Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coaches in the world, which is remarkable given the staggering statistics of mental health challenges in the workplace today.
According to an American Psychological Association survey, 58% of employees have experienced negative impacts of work-related stress, 87% of employees think actions from their employer would help their mental health, and 76% of employees have experienced burnout symptoms as a result of their work situations. Globally, it is estimated that 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety with a cost of $1 trillion per year in lost productivity.
The conditions that contribute to these unfathomable statistics vary from person to person, but some of the risks to mental health in the workplace may include: discrimination or exclusion, inadequate or inequitable pay, job insecurity, excessive workloads or work pace, unsafe or poor working conditions, culture that enables negative behaviors, lack of control over job or workload, harassment or bullying, unclear roles and responsibilities, conflicting work/home demands, unrealistic expectations, 24/7/365 accessibility, and many more.
Our mental health and overall wellbeing is something that impacts all aspects of our lives personally and professionally. There is no delineation between the two. In order to act, operate, and perform at a high level today requires a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. We know this is also a marathon not a sprint, and we work with our high-performing clients, teams, and organizations on making health and wellbeing a priority, creating a positive culture and work environment, focusing on happiness, positivity, and optimism, and tracking and measuring the progress in those areas using specific tools and metrics.
Follow the ON Point Action Plan and start making health and wellbeing a priority in your life.
- Celebrate Your Wins – Big & small, daily & weekly, individually & with your team to help train the brain to think positively & to boost confidence.
- Exercise – Daily movement & an exercise routine can boost one’s mood, increase concentration, reduce anxiety, stress & depression & increase alertness.
- Connect with Others – Quality connections with friends, family, pets, colleagues or even a friendly hello to a stranger can boost positive feelings of connection & belonging.
- Relax, Recover & Recharge – Unwinding & taking time off is often seen as counterintuitive to today’s “grind culture” but it is critical to good health & longevity.
- Increase Optimism – A daily dose of gratitude & learning the lessons as a result of setbacks, failures & mistakes will increase your optimism & strengthen your resilience.
- Take Small Steps – Don’t try to do everything all at once; set realistic goals, establish mini-milestones, make a plan, create accountability, stop & celebrate along the way.
- Know Your Purpose & Passion – This is the heartbeat of our wellbeing; we all must see our lives as having meaning, a sense of direction & purpose; our “WHY.”
