Your Mental Wellbeing And How To Improve It
So what is mental health wellbeing?
If we look at the World Health Organisations definition of it, it is defined as ‘a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.’ So what exactly does this mean for the average person? Mental wellbeing includes feelings of contentment, enjoyment, confidence and engagement with the world. Having a good self-esteem and self-confidence also forms part of the definition.
Why is it so important?
It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Having good mental health wellbeing gives us the resilience to cope with tough situations. If your mood and behaviour is affected, it can lead to problems in your personal and professional lives which as result can cause stress; exacerbating the initial problem. We know that performance and effectiveness at work is largely dependent on mental health and wellbeing - with as many as one in four of us experiencing problems with our mental health in the course of a year. It’s a lot more common than most people realise, for this reason it is vital to use preventative measures and seek help when needed.
Being fit and well as a staff member leads to increased productivity, reduction in accident levels, lower sickness absence rates, lower staff turnover and improves improved staff morale.
Factors that contribute to mental health wellbeing:
Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
Family history of mental health problems
Exercise activity levels
Balanced diet
Not having a positive mindset
Sleeping well
Having good coping methods
Early warning signs of things not going to plan:
Eating or sleeping too much or too little
Pulling away from people and usual activities
Having low or no energy
Feeling numb or like nothing matters
Having unexplained aches and pains
Feeling helpless or hopeless
Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
Yelling or fighting with family and friends
Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
Thinking of harming yourself or others
Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school
So what can you do to improve your mental health wellbeing?
NHS choices has suggested the following 5 steps to mental wellbeing.
Connect – connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships.
Be active – try a new sport, perhaps join a gym. Simple things like take a walk or go cycling. Find an activity that you will enjoy and allow to become part of your life.
Keep learning and challenging yourself – learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence. Pick up a new instrument, take an online course or learn how to ride a unicycle. Setting realistic short term and long term goals give you something to work towards and achieve for example learning that language you’ve always wanted to.
Give to others – volunteer in your local and wider community, build new social networks; the littlest act counts such as being kind and thankful, sharing a smile.
Be mindful and positive – be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you.
Other ways to improve your mental wellbeing are:
Take control, be active about your decisions. This will lead to an empowering feeling which will lead to greater satisfaction with life.
Have some ‘me time’ – we often forget in our busy lives that we also need to have a break and learn how to fully relax and start again. We need to spend time doing things we enjoy such as socialising and spending time away from work.
Avoid unhealthy habits – which means not relying on caffeine, smoking and alcohol. In the long term these will not solve the problems disguised by these habits.
Worker smarter, not harder – this means you should be focussing on what really matters and prioritising tasks. Time management is key. Start practising the ‘four Ds’ when it comes to emails.
you can probably delete half the emails you get immediately.
if the email is urgent or can be completed quickly.
Delegate: if the email can be better dealt with by someone else.
set aside time later to spend on emails that require longer action.
Accept the things you can’t change – this is probably one of the hardest tasks to do. But you can’t change things you don’t have any control of, instead focus on what you do have a control over.
What can employers do to improve their staff’s mental health wellbeing?
Flexible working options
Effectively 'mental health' trained managers
Raising awareness and creating an open culture to discuss mental health
Involving employees in decision making
Integrating mental health and wellbeing throughout policies and procedures
Introducing stress risk management procedures
Providing access to employee assistance programmes and occupational health
Having regular meetings with managers
Introducing performance management processes
Conducting return to work interviews.
This small self-help guide will hopefully give you the advice and tips to provide you with a better understanding on what affects your mental health and how to improve your mental wellbeing. There are many other websites you can visit if you require more information and would like further advice:
https://www.mentalhealth-uk.org/
https://www.mind.org.uk/
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/low-mood-stress-anxiety.aspx
