Week 15, and while I was sitting in the garden enjoying the weather (1 day but that is a bonus), I have been recharging my batteries after what has been a chaotic few weeks at the office.

What does recharging look like for me, going for a scenic walk in the countryside and getting up close and personal with nature. Mother nature has a recharging effect and more of us should give it a try. Luckily, I was kept recharged after Aston Villa won a game of football (I have been patiently waiting to stay up for Match of the day! 🥱).

Here is a picture of my new buddy Harry the horse (yes, I have named him and he/she may be a pony – if you know please educate me) – while munching on my lotus biscuit, he was gladly chewing the grass.

The theme for this week is mental health. Mental health in my view is not spoken about enough and having researched online, it is a problem which is growing by the day, and we should offer support to all our peers where it is needed.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act.

Key Facts

1. 40% of employees take time off work because of mental health.
2. Only 1 in 5 employees suffering from mental health confide in their employer.
3. More than 1 in 2 employees state that they would leave their job if mental health was not supported.

Speaking from my own experience, I have been in situations where I have become mentally burned out and I needed a break, yes it meant turning my laptop off and my work phone (again, I wanted to throw it out of window – no, everything is not urgent!) and hiding my laptop. 🗑

Now I try to manage my mental health and put ‘me’ first. 🥇

My advice to leaders or team members is that when you are delegating work, please think whether that person working through the night has seen their family. Also, for those working through the night, we must speak up and share how it is impacting our health.

Yes, delivery is important, though a person’s mental health is even more important. Sometimes delaying a release by even one day is better than having it on your conscious that someone has been broken by your actions. As I have said before, HR policies are great – but are companies and leaders living those policies?

Psychological stress – what signs to look out for in others and yourself

1. Low energy
2. Insomnia
3. Headaches
4. Frequent colds and infections
5. Chest pain and rapid heartbeat
6. Upset stomach
7. Aches, pains and tense muscles

Common physical signs of stress

1. General unhappiness
2. Anxiety and agitation
3. Feeling lonely and isolated
4. Frequent changes of mood
5. Irritability
6. Frequent persistent anger
7. Loss of confidence in one-self

In my key facts I raised that 1 in 5 employees suffering from mental health confide in their employer, so why is this…

🙋🏾

My view is that sadly, people can be ashamed that they cannot handle it alone; they do not want others to feel they are weak and cannot cope; and lastly, they feel that they will be discriminated against.

As leaders, these are things that we should look out for and ensure that we put our team at ease to emphasise that this should not be the case.

Having been a mental health champion in the past I found that my coaching skills were key, and showing people support meant a lot to people. Sometimes we become more geared towards metrics and financial quarter results, which in turn means that we forget that we are humans and are not robots. It is normal to have a rubbish day and we should all see that the next good day is coming and is just around the corner.

What 5 things can leaders do to support mental health of their team members?

1. Coach and listen to your team. Simply asking them ‘how are you?’ can help people to open up, and ask open ended questions.
2. Reassure your team that their views are important, and you are always there for their support. Create a culture where open and honest communication is encouraged.
3. Look out for signs of change in your team and if so ask them how they are, and whether you can support them.
4. Communicate regularly, give recognition when due and have regular 1-2-1’s.
5. Support your staff with a good work live balance.

Back to our meerkat friends (we have certainly missed them lately in the blogs) – a meerkat can be on patrol for most of the night, this is where their brain and nervous system are sensitive to all dangers, with the objective being to protect their family. At the same time other Meerkat’s are recuperating and are tucked away nicely in their beds. 💤

Now when the meerkat on patrol is tired, and mentally drained, they then swap their role.

This is a great example where a meerkat is protecting their own mental health and is thinking about keeping others safe. 🩺

We all need to feel loved and cared for, and most importantly feel that we are sailing the ship in the same direction with respect and integrity at the heart of all that we do. ❤️

As a friend (Sharmila) said last week, ‘do not judge a book by its cover’. 📚