On World Mental Health Day - October 10th, celebrated worldwide by the WHO, it is worth considering Mindfulness and other Mental Health initiatives to take better care of ourselves. The pandemic was a wake-up call regarding how we need to take care of our social-emotional well-being - which involves getting enough sleep, exercising, eating a healthy diet, and living a balanced sustainable healthy lifestyle.
The practice of self-care and Mindfulness cannot be stressed enough. We need to practice Mindfulness to recharge and improve our mental health. Investing in ourselves pays off dividends in the long term with our productivity and success and helps bring meaning to our lives.
Source: Mindfulness Expert Andy Puddicombbe Ted Talk
"How You Can Support Workplace Mental Health:
- Express Gratitude. A simple expression of gratitude to those around you can foster high-quality relationships and a more positive and collaborative workplace. The action will not only benefit the recipients, but also those expressing it.
- Practice Email Etiquette. When writing emails, make sure to include an accurate subject line, a concise summary of your ask, and a clear timeline or deadline. Feel free to put “no reply necessary” or “not time sensitive” at the top of an email to help recipients prioritize their time. If you want specific people to respond to your email, put them in the recipient line, not the CC line, and use “reply all” only when necessary.
- Prioritize No Meeting & Meeting-Less Days. Designate two or three no-meeting workdays a month and ask staff to refrain from scheduling meetings on those days. You can also establish meeting-less days, encouraging people to be judicious with scheduling only meetings that are deemed essential.
- Participate Mindfulness Activities. Take a few moments throughout the day to pause and focus on the present. You can spend a few minutes for deep breathing practices or meditation to clear your mind, boost your mood, and improve your overall well-being during the workday. Resources like the Calm app are great ways to access mindfulness activities.
- Practice Job Crafting. Try to practice job crafting throughout the day for a change. You can try to alter the type, scope, sequence, and number of tasks that make up your work today, connect people that you never interact with but can be related to your work, or view some of your tasks from a different perspective.
- Be a Source of Social Support. Try to engage in active listening with some colleagues and provide emotional support. If you are in a supervisory role, it is important for you to proactively build a psychologically safe environment, be a role model for mental health practices, and be a source of social support for those within your team.
These practices are just a few examples to consider on World Mental Health Day and beyond to enhance workplace mental health. Remember, prioritizing mental health in the workplace is not just a one-day event; it is an ongoing commitment that benefits everyone." Source
How do you plan to improve your mindfulness and practice meditation as part of your improved daily habits? Maybe this is an opportunity to pay homage to World Mental Health Day!