authentic self-care: it matters

Authentic Self-Care!

workplace mental health: it matters!

Recently, more and more attention has been given to examining mental health in the workplace. Millions of people spend the majority of their waking hours at work, so it is natural that our workplace has a strong influence on our well-being.

Mental Health America's Mind the Workplace 2022 Report states that "4 in 5 employees report that workplace stress affects their relationships with friends, family, and coworkers."

This September, Mental Health America launched a Workplace Mental Health Toolkit, "Creating a Culture of Support and Well-being." It is a digital guide that provides a helpful framework for employers, leaders, and workers to establish organizational practices that best support employee mental health and well-being.

By anne-Tillery Melson

The biggest takeaway? Creating a mentally healthy workplace takes investment and time from all levels of an organization, and it is not the kind of change that happens overnight. But … it is worth it! When workers are stressed, it affects not only their personal well-being, but also their productivity and retention. As such, it is in both the individual employee ' s and business ' s interest to establish a workplace culture that is supportive of mental health.

In the Workplace Mental Health Toolkit, MHA summarizes the six most common program and policy changes that employers found to be effective, including examples of each: 1. Increasing or improving mental health benefits and additional resource support (e.g., full coverage for mental health counseling appointments) 2. Evaluating compensation equity and role structure (e.g., increasing minimum wage to reflect current costs of living, performance-based merit increases) 3. Implementing permanent flexible work schedules and enhancing leave policies (e.g., hybrid work environment, floating and organization-wide "Mental Health

Days") 4. Encouraging employee resilience and providing mental health education (e.g., offering small group well-being coaching, providing Mental Health

First Aid training) 5. Suggesting balanced approaches to daily interactions and scheduled meetings (e.g., suggesting "no meeting Wednesdays" or two-hour calendar blocks to focus on other work responsibilities) 6. Maintaining connection and mitigating social isolation among colleagues (e.g., hosting "Connection Meetings" and virtual happy hours)

There are many ways to get the ball rolling in your workplace, but it is much easier when you aren't doing it alone. Check out the toolkit at mhanational.org/workplace/toolkit/downl oad to see the full list of resources so you can get started in improving the culture of your workplace - because it matters!

If you find yourself experiencing symptoms of stress and burnout, and wonder if it might be signaling a mental health condition, consider taking a screening at mhascreening.org. It is a quick, free, and confidential way to help you figure out if you should consider seeing a professional for help.

Anne-Tillery Melson is the Suicide Prevention Education Coordinator at Mental Health America of Fredericksburg.

Mental Health America of Fredericksburg (540) 371-2 2704 visit Helpline website at mhafred.org.