Your Mental Health and How to Take Good Care of It
How’s your mental health? Let’s talk frankly about something we have all been hearing and thinking a lot about over the past several months.
Our day-to-day mental health is reflected in our enjoyment of life, our ability to cope with a range of emotions, and a having sense of connection with others.
Our mental wellbeing links to our experiences where we work and with whom we work. It is as important to maintain our mental health at work and in our personal lives, no matter what your role is at any organization. We are all in this together. Each person has a stake and role to play in their own mental wellbeing and in the lives of those that we influence every day.
Work Can Be Good For You
Our work can have a positive effect on our mental health. This is especially true when our job gives us satisfaction and a feeling of self-worth. We feel great about ourselves, and our lives are filled with purpose. Our job allows us to interact with our colleagues, pursue common objectives, and find fulfillment. At this level, everything is working.
Of course, there is a flip side to this. Our work can impact our mental health and wellbeing in significantly negative ways. Perhaps there is a moderate/high level of job stress related to your workload or a poor relationship with a co-worker? Or worse yet, the determinantal effects of bullying and harassment at work.
Unfortunately, there are situations when there is only so much that we can do to control our work environment—especially when determined and controlled by others.
But there are proactive steps you can take to help build your resilience in the workplace. A few healthy choices can go a long way in maintaining our levels of happiness at a professional level. Let’s face it when we are spending so much time in our week interacting with colleagues, supervisors, and managers, being on solid mental footing is definitely half the battle!
Four Behaviors You Can Control For Better Mental Health
Here are four aspects of your behavior that you completely control and can fundamentally enhance your mental health at work.
Be warned, reading further in this week’s post could cause you understand yourself more…….if you are not interested in learning how you to possibly be a better version of yourself, stop reading right here.
On the other hand, if you ARE curious…
- Showing empathy to others
Empathy is our ability to understand each other’s feelings. It’s more than speaking with each other, but understanding or recognizing cues that aren’t verbal. During difficult moments at work, it is essential to take a deep breath (or two) and try to put yourself in your colleague’s shoes. Ask yourself what could have motivated their words or actions. Consider the day or week from their desk and workload (or personal struggles). You may be surprised by how forgiving you can be!
Relationships that thrive seem effortless, but a lot of work goes into them.
When co-workers feel comfortable around one another, they are motivated to seek resolutions. Healthy disagreements are opportunities to develop and strengthen relationships.
We all have different viewpoints. Don’t favor only one viewpoint that seems familiar or comfortable to you. Work together to sort out differences and be empathetic. It will take effort. But you will feel healthy. Is it worth that to you?
- Be civil and respectful.
Civility is about people using their manners, being courteous, and polite. It is about people being generally aware of the rights, concerns, and feelings of others. In past blogs, I have used the analogy of civility in the workplace, like the kinds of relations we have with our neighbors. We go out of our way to extend courteous, gracious, and respectful behavior to the people who live next door. Do the same with your colleagues at work.
Organizations are responsible for developing a code of civil conduct, but we cannot always control others’ behavior.
Could you do your part and pay it forward? Civility and respect are usually reciprocated.
- Be resilient by practicing mindfulness.
Mindfulness is really the process of us bringing intentional awareness to our experiences in the present without any form of judgment. Yes, it takes practice. And you are right; it is easier said than done. Maybe it includes some form of meditation. Use some practice that enables you to allow emotions to arise and, in turn, to pass. Try the Calm or Headspace app for help…
Mindfulness is effective at building awareness of the many ways we interpret our lives and experiences. Subsequently, it also informs how we react to life and all its unpredictability.
Some of the other benefits of this practice can include stress reduction, a better memory, heightened focus, experiencing fewer reactions and more responses, and, most importantly, an increased sense of satisfaction with living your day-to-day life.
And finally,
- Be more self-aware
How do you develop self-awareness? Take the time to observe everything you do with objective lenses. Be inquisitive with yourself and sometimes even demanding. It will pay off! Why did you react to a colleague’s suggestion? Were you fair or defensive? Why are you so afraid to ask yourself questions?
Don’t be critical, but do try to understand why.
You’re not being asked to psychoanalyze yourself here, but rather to assess whether there was a better way for you to have managed the interaction. If so, then strive to manage it in the future.
The key here is to pinpoint certain thinking patterns and consider why you are inclined to think or react in that way. What would have been a better approach? Is there room for improvement? Chances are, yes, there is room for improvement. You may also experience moments where you are pleased with your own progress and smile right out loud!
Remember that the one thing you can completely control is how you interact with your colleagues and how you choose to present yourself in the world and the workplace.
In other words, how you show up.
I have been finding myself being much more curious about how I show up as of late. I am still on this interesting journey of discovery.
It’s a great journey we do on our own and share in this life. I invite you to discover how you create your life and how to enjoy it better every day. Cheers to our healthy mental health!
