Mental health is how we think, feel and behave, it manifests itself in various forms and is different in each individual ranging from general uncomfortableness, feelings of dis-ease, depression and anxiety. This can lead to unnecessary worry, extreme sadness, despair and feelings of inadequacy and sates of ‘learned helplessness’
Most business people will experience these symptoms as part of their everyday life, either through their dealings in the business world, or perhaps through family matters. Mostly we maintain a sense of proportion, cope and pull ourselves together, however, continual feelings of despair or lack of focus can lead to poor decision making and short termism. When we are into this territory we end up in a spiral of negativity which takes us into a darker landscape.
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems. The trigger for these can often be one event such as moving house, bereavement, or redundancy.
In this country, you can take a short test with your GP to see how serious your anxiety or depression levels have become, in severe cases. there are forms of medication or indeed specialists in psychological support.
Work related stress and mental health often go together. Changes in behaviour are varied leading from loss of appetite/over eating/aggressive or passive behaviour. No one sign is a key indicator.
Work related stress may also trigger an existing mental health problem that the person may otherwise have successfully managed without letting it affect their work. People’s mental health states vary from individual, and effect individuals differently, high blood pressure may manifest itself without that person displaying signs of anxiety or depression so there can also be physical manifestations of stress as well as mental. It is easier to treat the physical signs as we can have metrics that show progress, blood pressure can be medically lowered. As yet we don’t understand fully the workings of the brain so we don’t know which neural pathways or parts of the brain can be measured to test our mental well being.
Stress at work is a reaction to events or experiences at work. Organisations can manage and prevent stress by improving conditions at work. Doctors usually treat common non-work related mental health issues by prescribing medication. However, adjustments in the work place, rescheduling hours, having windows open, access to air conditioning, removal of ‘toxic employees’ etc may assist that person to perform better
Some stress is useful, deadlines concentrate the mind and reporting performances can be motivational, in practice, it can be hard to distinguish when ‘stress’ turns into a ‘mental health problem’ and when existing mental health problems become exaggerated by stress at work.
Many of the symptoms[1] are similar to those that people experience when they are under considerable pressure; the key differences are in the severity and duration of the symptoms and the impact they have on someone’s everyday life.
Usually a GP or occupational therapist will make the diagnosis and offer treatment e.g. medication, talking therapies or a combination of both. The majority of people with mental health problems are treated by their GP and most are capable of continuing to work productively. Evidence shows that continuing to work and being productive can be of great benefit, both to the employer and to the employee. In many respects, it is not the life changing experience that is the trigger, it is more how that person responds. So, behaviour changes or changes to their thoughts, and how they view the world, whilst not always easy to spot, are early warning signs that mental health is becoming an issue. Colloquial phrases such as ‘duvet days’, ‘doing my head in’, ‘whatever’, ‘pulling a sickie’ etc may be the first sign of danger which can be difficult to spot or take seriously when they are perhaps used as a humour tool to prove a point. Persistent use of these phrases may be a cause for alarm. Other signs may also be lack of sleep or substance abuse which in itself is pouring oil on already troubled waters.
Going back to the title, a holistic approach to managing one’s mental health also incorporates diet and exercise as well as a healthy respect for sleep. There is a saying that ‘you are what you eat’ so care with dieting is paramount and also research has shown that connecting with nature has also beneficial effects on our well-being. Taking a stroll in the local park may be a good alternative to a fag break. Although these ideas are a recipe for a healthy body, and by consequence a healthy mind, there is a lot of groundwork to be done to educate children and later adults in learning about the benefits of self-control and discipline in what we eat and do. We still see examples of heavy smoking, binge drinking and drug abuse, all with long term consequences.
Perhaps B schools should look at mental health as part of their research into how leaders make decisions and there is a wealth of information about how happiness affects our ability to cope with pressure. A quick internet search on ‘life coaches’ will reveal a whole industry dedicated to positivity and mentoring. There is no shame in asking for help, or second opinion on decisions that a leader makes, what requires improvement is some form of self-help checklist that asks whether this decision is rational and consistent with their own values and behaviours. This is where Cognitive Behavioural Therapy comes into the framework for self-management.
We are only just beginning to understand the dual function processing in the human brain which has become a more popular idea in recent times, previously we would have had discussions about ‘having a conscience’. When the conscious and subconscious processes are at variance, this is when stress and mental health becomes an issue because it is a question of how that individual deals with their own inner conflict.
Business leaders have also a dual role in manging the resources at their disposal which includes talent management and also managing themselves. Identifying stress triggers and learning coping behaviours is as much part of their job as investment appraisal. Self-awareness and therefore self- investment can pay dividends both for the leader and the led.
Emotional Intelligence should be part of a leader’s toolkit in order to get the best out of themselves and others. I find also anecdotally it helps if the leader sets the behaviour required of the team by setting the example of appropriate behaviour and maintain standards and values, all of which require positive mental health and self-discipline. This is why personal and corporate happiness is so important and knowing that your brain needs to operate in a healthy body and work in a healthy environment to give it the best chance possible to see stress as a motivator and not a permanent state of dis-ease.
