Whilst looking at the MIND website, i found a current campaign which they are running which is about mental health at work - this fit in perfect with my project. There is lots and lots of information on their website to do with this, which i can take advantage of and use within my work so this is great.
MENTAL HEALTH IN WORK CAMPAIGN
Right now, 1 in 6 workers is experiencing depression, anxiety or stress.
That's the elephant in the room.
Mental health in the workplace is the elephant in the room. It exists but too often it is ignored. But we think some problems are too big to ignore.
Taking care of business: mental health at work is our campaign to help people understand and start talking about the costs of neglecting mental wellbeing in the workplace.
WHAT EMPLOYERS CAN DO
Right now, 1 in 6 workers is experiencing depression, anxiety or stress and costing the UK economy £26 billion each year. What does the elephant in the room cost your business?
Reduced productivity
Employees who remain in work without the support they need cost UK businesses up to £15.1 billion a year.
Lost working days
70 million working days are lost every year due to mental ill health, with 10 million working days directly caused by work-related problems.
Recruitment
Staff turnover as a result of employees leaving their jobs due to mental ill health costs £2.4 billion.
IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK
Improving and managing mental health in the workplace can help employers save around £300 per employee or around £8 billion a year for British industry as a whole.
FTSE 100 companies taking action and reporting on employee health issues outperformed their competitors financially by 10 per cent on average in 2009.
5 ways to wellbeing:
Connect
There is strong evidence that indicates that feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world.
It’s clear that social relationships are critical for promoting wellbeing and for acting as a buffer against mental ill health for people of all ages.
With this in mind, try to do something different today and make a connection.
-Talk to someone instead of sending an email.
-Speak to someone new.
-Ask how someone’s weekend was and really listen when they tell you.
-Put five minutes aside to find out how someone really is.
-Give a colleague a lift to work or share the journey home with them.
Be active
Regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups.
Exercise is essential for slowing age-related cognitive decline and for promoting well-being.
But it doesn’t need to be particularly intense for you to feel good - slower-paced activities, such as walking, can have the benefit of encouraging social interactions as well providing some level of exercise.
Today, why not get physical? Here are a few ideas:
-Take the stairs not the lift.
-Go for a walk at lunchtime.
-Walk into work - perhaps with a colleague – so you can ‘connect’ as well.
-Get off the bus one stop earlier than usual and walk the final part of your journey to work.
-Organise a work sporting activity.
-Have a kick-about in a local park.
-Do some ‘easy exercise’, like stretching, before you leave for work in the morning.
-Walk to someone’s desk instead of calling or emailing.
Take notice
Reminding yourself to ‘take notice’ can strengthen and broaden awareness.
Studies have shown that being aware of what is taking place in the present directly enhances your well-being and savouring ‘the moment’ can help to reaffirm your life priorities.
Heightened awareness also enhances your self-understanding and allows you to make positive choices based on your own values and motivations.
Take some time to enjoy the moment and the environment around you. Here are a few ideas:
-Get a plant for your workspace.
-Have a ‘clear the clutter’ day.
-Take notice of how your colleagues are feeling or acting.
-Take a different route on your journey to or from work.
-Visit a new place for lunch.
Learn
Continued learning through life enhances self-esteem and encourages social interaction and a more active life.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the opportunity to engage in work or educational activities particularly helps to lift older people out of depression.
The practice of setting goals, which is related to adult learning in particular, has been strongly associated with higher levels of wellbeing.
Why not learn something new today? Here are a few more ideas:
-Find out something about your colleagues.
-Sign up for a class.
-Read the news or a book.
-Set up a book club.
-Do a crossword or Sudoku.
-Research something you’ve always wondered about.
-Learn a new word
Give
Participation in social and community life has attracted a lot of attention in the field of wellbeing research.
Individuals who report a greater interest in helping others are more likely to rate themselves as happy.
Research into actions for promoting happiness has shown that committing an act of kindness once a week over a six-week period is associated with an increase in wellbeing.
WHAT EMPLOYEES CAN DO
RECLAIM YOUR LUNCH BREAK
Why not make the most of that precious hour – or half hour – by trying some of these suggestions...
Organise a picnic
Take advantage of the summer sun and make the most of clean air and good food with your colleagues.
Hold a group activity
If there’s a green space near your workplace why not organise a game of rounders or football, hold a guerrilla gardening session, or a group walk? Take time to enjoy the outdoors and get re-energised for an afternoon of productive work.
Take up a challenge
Local sponsored walks or marathons are a great way to keep active. Sign with your colleagues and train together during lunch breaks. Participating as part of a team can give a communal sense of achievement when you complete the challenge. You could even support Mind’s work by signing up to one of our running events.
WHISTLE WHILST YOU WORK
If you’re feeling stressed, listening to a calming song can take your mind off work for a few minutes and help you unwind and refocus. Research has found slow, quiet music can encourage relaxation and reduce anxiety.
When you’re working hard to complete a task, music can also help eliminate distractions around you. By blocking out the noise of your fellow workers, machinery or bleeping phones you can focus easier on the task at hand.
Listen to your favourite song as a simple treat to yourself. Rewarding yourself is a great way for your general wellbeing, giving you some added motivation so you can better tackle a big workload.
Our magical music suggestions:
- Check out this selection of relaxing music or choose your own soundtrack to relax to.
- Have a look at the most popular songs that make people happy
- Here are some great sites that can help you select music play lists according to your current or desired mood.
GETTING THE WORK LIFE BALANCED RIGHT
Are you often the last to leave work?
We know you’ll have times when you need to work overtime to meet deadlines, but try to make this the exception not the norm. Long hours means you may be working harder, but not better – they’ll quickly take their toll on your concentration, productiveness and health.
Create clear boundaries between work and home
Try not to let work spill over into your personal life. If you need to bring work home, designate a separate area for work and stick to it, you’ll find it much easier to then close the door on work.
Start a To Do list
At the end of each day, go over your list and write up one for the next day, when your thoughts are down on paper, you’ll find it easier to not think about work.
Use the time on your commute home to wind down from work
Read a book or listen to your music to set aside some time to yourself. Maybe try cycling part of your journey or getting off a stop early to take a shortcut through a park or quiet streets. These little actions can really help you to switch off.
Ask for help
If you feel your workload is spiralling out of control, take opportunity to discuss it with your manager or supervisor. If you can't resolve the problem of unrealistic goals, organisation problems or deadlines in this way, talk to your personnel department, trade union representative or other relevant members of staff.
FIVE STEPS TO WELLBEING
The new economics foundation pinpointed five essential steps to improving wellbeing on a daily basis. They're a great way to start thinking about how you can improve your daily working life.
Get connected
Nurture relationships with your friends, families and colleagues. Research has shown that people whose goals in life are focused on family, friends and colleagues have increased wellbeing compared to those who focus on career and money.
Find some ways to get to know your colleagues better. Start an end of week connected team meeting, one that’s dedicated to the team as individuals – avoid all work related topics! Encourage everyone to share what they have learnt about each other during the week.
Be active
Exercise has been proven to lower levels of anxiety and depression.
Find an activity that suits you, walking cycling, dancing or running - anything that gets you moving.
Does your workplace have a sports team, yoga class or a bike-to-work scheme? If not, why not set one up?
Take notice
Actively building your awareness of your everyday feelings and experiences has been proven to be good for your wellbeing.
Take time to reflect on what has happened in your day and be curious about the world around you.
Take ten minutes at the end of each working day to review what you’ve done well and what you might do differently tomorrow.
Keep learning
When you’re young learning is a key part of your development, it quite literally forms the person you are when you grow up.
Learning purely for the sake of learning is extremely beneficial -achieving goals you’ve set for yourself can increase your confidence and help you to feel more optimistic about the future.
Volunteer to take on a new responsibility at work, learn to cook a new recipe or read a Wikihow article on a totally new topic to you.
Give
Co-operating with other people has been shown by neuroscientists to stimulate the reward centres in the brain
By giving and receiving, people build trust which helps boosts everyone’s mental wellbeing.
Put on a happy face from Mind Charity on Vimeo.
SURVIVING WORKING LIFE
http://www.mind.org.uk/help/medical_and_alternative_care/mind_guide_to_surviving_working_life
Again this page holds alot of information on surviving working life, which is too much to put onto my blog, so i have linked out to the page instead.
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