It’s Mental Health Awareness Day on 10th October 2021.
Few people need reminding of the importance of supporting mental health in the workplace and yet there is still much to be learned and much much more that can be done. The UK Government stats show that poor mental health costs employers between £33 billion and £42 billion a year.
Anecdotally, I hear it from friends who have been experiencing burn-out and their mental health has been suffering.
In our development programs and workshops with leaders and teams, we often hear stories of the challenges people are experiencing and it’s reassuring to see colleagues and leaders supporting those who are experience challenges.
It happens far more than we probably all realise. Some of us show signs of it, some us seek to deal with it silently, some of us meet it head-on. The one truth is that it’s all around us - whether in us or in our team.
Some simple truths I’ve learned along the way which you can use to help you and those around you - even if you or they haven’t said there’s a problem.
Clarity
I’ve noticed when you have clarity on the goal you’re after, stress levels drop. When the mission of the team is unfocused and there are lots of competing objectives it’s easy to get stressed on what you should invest your time in. What is the thing I/ we should be working on? Is what I’m doing moving us closer or further away from the goal. When you’re clear on the pole star story, you won’t get distracted by the lights of all the passing ships. It’s those lights of the passing ships and the uncertainty that can create which burns excessive energy.
Ask yourself - what’s the singular pole star story we’re seeking to achieve as a team?
Ask the people in your team. Are they all on the same page?
Do you need to have time to reset and refocus on what’s the one version of the truth you are all aiming at?
A confused mind will spin round in circles and is a recipe for stress and poor mental health.
A clear mind can focus on what needs to happen next.
Self Leadership and Daily Priorities
Ever noticed how you start out with one set of priorities and then that collides with the real world. New projects and priorities inevitably spin out and you now have 17 number 1 priorities. It’s totally understandable in our disrupted world with a laundry list of items competing for your attention.
Self Leadership can be the only answer - one of the best ways through this I’ve found is the use of Deep Work checklists. It’s the merging of ideas of what you need to do to move productively forward each today with discipline and rigour. There’s more on this here.
The bottom line is each day focusing on what is going to move the dial - what do you need to focus on. And equally, what can you consciously take off the list today to free up mental space to focus on what really matters.
What else works for you to manage your mental health and avoid stress and burnout? We’ve all got our own experiences and how we manage this individually and collectively massively affects whether your team can perform effectively to achieve your ambitious goals.