Mental Health Support in the Workplace

Hello everyone and sorry for the interruption of your normal blog author, for today I have control of the horizontal and the vertical (what no more outdated references?) 

The reason for me writing this blog is because I was lucky enough to be a part of the CMM event on the 24th September. Myself and Marc Caulfield did a presentation on mental wellbeing in the workplace. As I am wont to do, I have turned this over in my head and I thought now was a good time to try to shed some light on this subject. 

Personal Experience

I have historically been hesitant to talk about my mental health – I’m making up for it now 🙂 There have been a few factors in this. The most prevalent is the pressures placed on men by society with such advice as “man up” and “men don’t talk about their feelings”. However emotional dismissal is not an exclusively male professional experience, it can affect anyone. Advising a person with depression to “cheer up” does not lead to an instant recovery. I have to say, this advice has probably led to more so many preventable deaths over the years. 

Reversing the Trend

With most great changes in society it all starts with acts of kindness. The great myth which has become perception is that people don’t care, when in reality people just want to help. One of the things that make us as humans so fascinating is that no two people are the same; however most people I have talked to thrive on listening to other people and offering advice wherever possible. 

What is kindness? Kindness in this context is a colleague who takes time out of their busy day, even if for just a few minutes, to listen to a problem. Oftentimes there is no miracle cure and the problem is still there but sometimes clichés are true and a problem shared really is a problem halved.  

Extending a Hand

So if you are suffering from mental health issues, reach out and talk to someone. Whether you talk to a coworker, a friend or find solace in the kindness of strangers. On the other hand, if you are lucky enough to find someone who values you enough to confide in you, don’t fob them off; listen to them. Even if you can’t help, you never know – you just might save a life. 

Stay safe, and be kind to each other.

You can see our blog on anxiety management apps here: