Stress at work can be challenging to manage. If left unattended, it can cause mental health problems that can impact employee morale and performance. Senior leaders and managers can help employees feel empowered and supported by providing a safe environment for discussions, offering training on sensitive topics, accessing resiliency resources, and offering flexible work options.
1. Take a Breathing Exercise
Stress can have the same effect as a second coworker and seriously affect productivity. Breathwork is an effective and easy way to combat stress. Try the 4-7-8 breath technique. This involves holding your breath for 7 seconds and then exhaling for 8 seconds. It helps to balance nervous systems and promotes relaxation.
Researchers have shown that breathing exercises can reduce anxiety symptoms. To confirm these findings and gain a better understanding of its impact on mental health, further low-risk-of-bias research is needed.
2. Take a Break
Mental health breaks can be a great way to relieve stress and restore your sense of well-being. Breaks for physical, mental, and spiritual well-being can be as simple as a walk around the block or reading and relaxing over a cup of tea.
Employees who are more productive can be made more efficient by ensuring their well-being. A lack of interest at work, poor performance, and an increase in mistakes characterize burnout. It’s important to recognize and address any signs of burnout, such as sleep issues, altered eating habits, and a reduced enjoyment of daily activities.
3. Keep in Touch with your Coworkers
Employees with mental health issues often feel alone at work when they lack support from coworkers. Remote employers should provide tools, initiatives, and activities that foster community and connection in hybrid work environments.
As a way to improve employee wellness, consider virtual team-building activities such as guided meditation sessions, yoga classes, or step-counting competitions. Create a channel in your communication platform for employees to share their wellness goals and stories.
Make sure all your employees have access to resources that are tailored to their specific needs, such as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or online therapy subscriptions. If your manager makes these resources easily accessible, it will help employees feel cared for and supported.
4. Self-care is Important
Self-care can include anything that improves your physical, mental, and emotional health. This could be as simple as taking a walk at lunchtime or consulting a professional therapist. The goal is to reduce stress while increasing focus and energy.
Regularly staying in touch with family and friends can help reduce stress, as well as the risk of burnout. You can do this by using video chats or visiting in person. Set boundaries. You could limit your work hours or decline any new responsibilities.
5. Take Care of your Body
When working at home or in the office, employees should take care to look after their physical and mental health. This includes eating healthy meals, limiting distracting activities, and staying physically active. As part of maintaining general health, proper hygiene involves daily handwashing, bathing rituals, and dental care.
Maintaining a healthy physical state can reduce stress levels. Exercise daily, get enough sleep, and limit caffeine consumption. It is important to eat a balanced and nutritious diet and avoid unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and excessive drinking.
6. Stay Active
Exercise can improve your mood and reduce stress. For best results, include both endurance (aerobics) and flexibility exercises in your weekly routine. Take the stairs instead of taking an elevator, and take a walk during lunchtime.
According to the American Psychological Association’s 2023 Work in America Survey, workers want their workplaces to take mental health very seriously. This could involve providing resources, limiting distracting activities, training managers on sensitive mental health conversations, and offering reasonable accommodation to allow employees to meet their individual needs.
8. Eat Right
Mental health is becoming an increasingly important part of workplace culture. This includes hiring mental health managers and providing texting access to their therapists.
Unique psychosocial hazards can expose mentally ill people at work. These risks have the potential to impact their self-esteem, confidence, productivity, and even hinder their ability to secure or maintain employment. These risks can be exacerbated by other issues that affect mental health, such as economic recessions, humanitarian crises, and public health emergencies.
9. Exercise
Exercise is not only beneficial for your physical health, but it can also improve your mental wellbeing. Any activity that increases your heart rate or makes you breathe faster is considered exercise. This includes walking, jogging, playing with children, gym classes, swimming, or weight-training sessions. Find an activity that you enjoy to make it more likely that it sticks around. To tailor a program specifically for your needs, consult a mental healthcare professional. The plan will include strategies and small steps that make it easier to incorporate.
FAQs
1. What are the signs and symptoms of burnout?
Burnout is characterized by chronic fatigue, a feeling of cynicism or disengagement from the job, and an increased sense of irritability and ineffectiveness.
2. What can I do to help a co-worker who is struggling?
Support can be offered by listening to them without judging, encouraging the person to speak with HR or their manager, and recommending that they utilize mental health resources. Avoid making assumptions and respect their privacy.
3. What is the Employee Assistance Program?
EAPs are confidential benefits sponsored by employers that provide employees with mental health services, such as short-term counseling and referrals, at no charge.
