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As the pandemic continues, companies and professionals alike continue to have to make adjustments to new ways of operating and communicating. It’s essential that people take care of themselves, inside the office and out. While there is a lot of focus on the physical health side of things – staying active and being physically fit – it’s not as common to place the same emphasis on mental health.
A focus on mental health is now even more crucial during times like these. Many people continue working and living as if we were in normal circumstances, ignoring the real consequences that this prolonged pandemic can have on mental health and wellbeing. Even without counting the pandemic, mental health disorders are common and difficult to deal with.
The Guardian reported 53% of Aussies are anxious about the threat of coronavirus. So the uncertainty of job stability, along with the ongoing uncertainties of our future, means we are collectively feeling higher levels of stress and anxiety like never before.
On the job, there is a direct link between your mental health and productivity. Outside of the office, your mental health affects relationships and your overall wellbeing. Mental health and your mindset are important to living a happy and healthy life.
Here are some ways to prioritise your mental health during these challenging times.
If you are feeling distracted at work, you are definitely not alone. Experts around the world have said that it’s normal to feel like your concentration is affected during times like these.
Between 24-hour news cycles, an overload of information and the uncertainty of the pandemic, it can be difficult to concentrate on one task. Add in the challenges of working from home (WFH), and it is even more understandable why, when it comes to work, you may feel your concentration waning.
The first way to combat it is to accept the situation, acknowledge the limitations and see what you can do within these new parameters. Attempting to carry on as if everything is normal can be detrimental to your mental health in the long term. Once you have acknowledged the challenges of this particular situation, set realistic goals for work and your personal life that are attainable and practical, given the circumstances.
If you are managing a team at work, continue to re-examine team goals to ensure that they are still realistic under the current circumstances, and make it clear that team members who are struggling with workload can communicate that to you. Talking about the issue can help bring solutions to the problem before they become impossible to rectify.
Self-care is one of those words that conjures up images of extreme indulgence that only those who aren’t “busy” are able to partake in. However, self-care is actually a simple concept. It is about carving out time to focus on your own well-being and to participate in activities that help your overall mental and physical health.
Self-care can include rituals such as meditation, journaling and mindfulness, but it can also include simple actions such as going for a walk outside, listening to calming music, exercising in a way that makes you feel good and eating well. Essentially, self-care describes any actions that help to ease anxiety and make you feel more relaxed.
Particularly for those taking care of others during this pandemic – parents and caregivers – taking time for self-care can have a big impact on overall state of mind. Take those annual leave days, even if you’re not travelling anywhere. Switch off from work by setting hard limits on your work versus home time. And try to turn off the news if it’s becoming too much.
In a pandemic where we are forced to avoid face-to-face and physical interaction, make an effort to stay in touch with others. This doesn’t mean you need to hold a Zoom happy hour every week. It becomes more about communicating with the people you care about, checking in and discussing the daily issues and challenges we are all facing.
Use social media to stay in touch – but use it wisely. Social media can be tough because it can make us feel connected, but recent studies are showing that using social media too much can actually increase feelings of loneliness and inadequacy. This means that we are individually responsible of our social media use, see how it makes us feel and then adjust our usage accordingly.
This is last on list, but it’s probably the most important and is essential to staying well. While most people don’t hesitate to go see a doctor when something feels wrong physically, the opposite is true for mental health. There is no shame in seeking out professional help and the more we accept it, the less stigmatised it becomes for others.
Many companies now count Employee Assistance Programs as part of their benefits and include mental health resources to employees. These resources can include access to online counselling, coverage for expenses related to seeking professional help, and guides and other literature for self-help. For more information about these, you should reach out to a manager or the human resources department of your organisation. Some businesses may offer trained mental health officers so be sure to check.
Outside of work, there are several professional organisations in Australia that you can reach out to:
World Mental Health Day is acknowledged on 10 October each year, but it’s an essential part of overall mental health and wellbeing that should be a focus all year round.
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