We all feel the “drag” of the COVID-19 pandemic. The disruption in our normal routines, vacations, and family gatherings. The impact of physical distancing, stay-at-home orders, and mask mandates take a huge toll on our overall mental health and outlook. Organizations can explore strategies and initiatives to support mental wellness in the workplace. We can feel empowered to monitor our own mindset and set healthy and intentional habits to take in the world around us.
Below are some strategies to integrate into your workday that not only will help with your own mental health but also just might boost up someone around you:
- Experience gratitude
- Text yourself something at the end of the day that you were grateful
- Express appreciation
- In a chat box, messenger, text, wherever!
- Share your hobbies and experiences
- Seek out those connections with your co-workers
- Practice self-care throughout your day
- Take breaks, drink water, go for a walk
- Celebrate small successes
- Point them out in weekly status calls to recognize the wins along the way
- Learn a new skill
- Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone will give you that feeling of accomplishment
- Maintain a work life balance
- Make time for the important things and understand your priorities
- Decorate your workspace
- Home office or in-office, personalize your workspace with things that make you feel happy and positive
- Take a mental health day
- Practice living in the stillness, take a day without a ton of plans to just rejuvenate yourself
- Develop a routine to start your workday
- Accomplishing something early in your workday will improve overall mental outlook and positivity
Empowering employees to talk about mental health in the workplace is another big area for organizations to focus on. Creating a culture of connection and empathy will help to promote healthy working relationships and meaningful interactions.
Media Works recently made a contribution to Active Minds. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting mental health, especially among young adults through peer to peer dialogue and interaction. Active Minds was founded by Alison Malmon in 2003, after her older brother died by suicide in 2000.
This blog post was written by Executive Vice President, Amy Ward.
