The third Monday in January is said to be the most depressing day of the year (now named Blue Monday). Factors such as poor weather, overhanging Christmas debt, low motivation levels and failing resolutions, contribute to this claim. Whether or not you agree that it is the most depressing day of the year, it’s a good prompt to spend more time looking after ourselves and those around us.
When thinking about our mental health and wellbeing, it’s useful to understand how our workplace contributes to the way we feel, given it’s where we spend a large chunk of our time.
In 2018, Perkbox surveyed almost 3,000 British workers, and found that 59% of adults experienced stress as a result of their work – and 45% of participants told PerkBox that their place of work didn’t have anything in place to help with employees’ stress levels, or improve mental wellbeing (with just 8% providing counselling services to employees).
So how do we tackle this? The CIPD advises that ’employees need to feel that they can reach out for help in the first place, and the key is cultivating an open and safe environment, ensuring line managers are well-equipped to have those sometimes difficult conversations.’ Jobs site CV-Library surveyed 1,200 workers, exploring the mental-health-related experiences of UK employees and 60.2% of participants said that they would feel embarrassed discussing the state of their mental health with their employer, for a multitude of reasons. 64%feared their employer would judge them; 46% were concerned that disclosing this information would ‘make them look weak;’ and, sadly, 37% feared they would lose their job as a result.
Although stress affects most of us at some points in our lives, it can be a difficult subject to discuss with employers or colleagues.
It’s clear that companies need to get better at talking about how we feel at work, stress included, but if your workplace is a way off from this, then you can take a look at other resources available.
Mind has lots of accessible information – from training courses, to ideas on how to raise the subject of stress at work (including creating a stress awareness space within your office). Organisations can also register for the Workplace Wellbeing Index 2018/19, which is designed to help employers find out more about the areas of strength and, those where they could improve their approach to mental health in the workplace. For more information, take a look at the findings from last year’s index here.
What can I do?
There are a number of proactive steps you can to help tackle Blue Monday (and beyond!). We have more control over our emotional well-being than we realize, and making small changes in our daily lives can have a big impact on how we feel longer-term. You can actually train your brain to be more positive by following the simple steps below for 21 days.
In his book ‘The Happiness Advantage’ Shawn Achor argues,
“[It’s] the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens, not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time.”
The following list is taken from Shawn’s book and are proven techniques for improving our mental wellbeing:
- Gratitudes – each day write down three things you are grateful for. It is easy to get caught up with focusing on everything that has gone wrong, but by consciously focusing on the good parts of out day we are retraining our brain to scan for the positives, as well as the negatives
- Conscious acts of kindness – each day do something altruistic. Research shows that people who report carrying out acts of kindness report feeling much happier than a control group and this is found to last for days after the exercise has ended
- Exercise – each day engage in some kind of physical activity, even if it’s only popping out for a walk. There is a huge body of evidence that demonstrates exercise not only boosts positive moods, but also reduces stress and anxiety and provides us with mastery experiences – all of which contribute to our wellbeing
- Meditation – meditate daily for 10 minutes, or more if you have the time or inclination. Neuroscientists have found that monks that mediate are actually able to grow their left prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain associated with feeling happy
- Looking forward – find something each day to look forward to. Research shows that even just thinking about watching our favourite movie can increase endorphin levels by 27%
Have a go at the exercises above for 21 days and keep a journal to record how you feel at the beginning, during and at the end of the exercise. Think about what worked for you and if any learning from this exercise could be applied to your organisation to improve engagement and employee wellbeing.
