World Mental Health Day 2024
How's your mental health?

This year, World Mental Health Day arrives on 10th October.  It’s a day that seeks to promote awareness of mental health for everyone.  Each year there is a theme set by the World Federation of Mental Health, and in 2024 that is workplace mental health.  

 

According to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) about half of work-related ill health is due to stress, anxiety and/or depression and this equates to an average of 19.6 days sick leave from the workplace each year.  They encourage employers to focus on promoting good mental health and well-being and to be proactive in preventing work-based stress.  

 

For any employers reading this - whether you are running a small business with a couple of employees or a huge multinational corporation with a massive team, there are some great resources from the Working Minds campaign which foster an approach of ‘make it routine’; so there is no stigma for people when they are struggling which may stop them from reaching out and having honest conversations.  

 

Further information is available here => https://workright.campaign.gov.uk/campaigns/working-minds/ 

 

Although employers have a legal obligation to put things in place to prevent stress generated by the workplace, that doesn’t mean that we as individuals don’t need to take proactive measures to take care of ourselves, physically, mentally and emotionally.

 

Most people, at some point, will struggle with stress, difficult thoughts and overwhelming feelings - this is part of being a human.  However, having a good package of how you take care of yourself that encompasses lots of different strategies and tools can give you:

• improved resilience - meaning you can bounce back more quickly from adverse events

• better tolerance - for other people, multiple tasks or drains on your time, for coping

 

The key to improved mental health is not one-off 3 hour sessions at the gym once a month or swapping out the skin-on fries for a salad when you go out for tea or even going to bed at 7pm one night a week.  

 

Experiencing a sustained improvement in mental health comes from having a regular routine that takes care of you holistically.  It encompasses things that address your physical, emotional, spiritual and social health.  Having an effective self-care approach will positively affect how you think, act and feel and improve how you handle life stresses, work pressure and relationships with other people.

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Here are some key areas to good mental health for which you could consider implementing some new strategies:

 

Hydration & nutrition - having a balanced diet is so important in promoting brain health.  Proteins are particularly good for this and foods like oily fish, nuts and leafy green veggies are good sources.

We’ve all heard the advice of drinking at least 2 litres of water a day and how important it is, but I don’t think we always acknowledge how quickly we can become dehydrated and what that does to our brains.  Water supports brain cells communicating with each other, carries nutrients to it and helps to clear out toxins in the brain (and our skin).  Cold water can help us to feel alert.

 

As tedious as it is to be reminded about healthy eating and good hydration, they have a direct impact on our ability to emotionally regulate ourselves - having chaotic blood sugar levels or a dehydrated brain can increase specific moods such as anger or anxiety.

 

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Exercise - not everyone likes exercise, in fact this strategy is probably one that creates more groans than any of the others (except maybe reducing screen time!).

But, this isn’t about enforcing a stringent exercise routine that is costly (gym membership) or time consuming.  Of course for anyone who is really into the gym, that’s great.  

 

Looking at strategies to get yourself moving more might be things like:

• parking further away from somewhere you visit regularly e.g. work/shops so you have to increase your step count

• taking stairs instead of escalators or elevators

• go for a dog walk (you don’t even have to have your own dog => https://www.borrowmydoggy.com/)

• meet friends to do something active together - zumba, boxing, yoga, ice skating, martial arts or if you don’t have friends available or interested, maybe branch out yourself => https://www.parkrun.org.uk/ 

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You may be interested in the info in a previous article I’ve written sharing the benefits to your brain of getting active => https://www.thelisteninglane.com/i-feel-anxious 

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Sleep - having a good sleep routine is essential to you getting really good quality rest.  But, let’s face it, life is busy, our brains are busy.  It isn’t always easy to go to bed feeling relaxed and ready for sleep.  Plus, everyone is different with how much sleep they need to function at their best.  

 

Generally speaking, the advice from organisations such as the NHS is 7-9 hours sleep for adults and more for children depending on their age.  If you’re struggling with sleep, there are some ideas in a previous article I’ve written that might help => https://www.thelisteninglane.com/sleeplessness-nightmares 
 

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Socialising - spend time doing things you like on your own or with the people you like the most.  Sometimes we need our own headspace and quiet time and other times it’s good to have the extra distraction of other people around us.  

 

Maintaining social connections can really help us feel included, foster a sense of belonging and remind us there is support if needed.  

 

Lots of our socialising is done online and this can be really good for that quick check-in with friends/family members.  But it can become something that also dilutes the strength and depth of connection to others.  As with everything (food, hydration, exercise) it’s about balance.  Having a good mix of online contact and in-person time will provide the best platform for strong social rapport.

 

Check out the ‘Britain get talking’ website for their perspective on social space and their ‘take a mate on a date’ campaign  https://www.itv.com/britaingettalking/. 

 

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So in summary, this World Mental Health day, why not give yourself the gift of taking 10 minutes out of your day to really think about how you take care of yourself:

 

• Is there anything in the ideas I’ve shared above that you think, ‘that could really help me’?  

• Is there something in there that you think could help a loved one?  

 

Talking about mental health needs to be something that everybody embraces.  We all have mental health.  Every single one of us.  Nobody should be put off speaking out when they need a helping hand.  

 

• Today is a great day to make some meaningful changes for yourself.  

• You can be the person that starts up conversations about emotional wellbeing.  

• You can be the person who promotes an inclusive, non-judgemental, open approach to discussing mental health.

 

People get flummoxed talking about mental health because of the stigma associated with the word ‘mental’.  But the word ‘mental’ just refers to the ‘mind’.  

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We all have a mind.