Wellness & Mental Health

Mental health and best practices for self and at workplace – An information sharing session.

 Unique and effective workshop; by Devika Dharmaraj from Kelsa Solutions guiding us to be balanced , resilient, make better decisions at workplace, mindfulness and stay happy.

 Raise awareness, have honest conversation, and take action to improve and take care of Mental health.

 Agenda is to increase Mental health literacy. Anxiety and Depression are widely known issues, which needs to be discussed, and what can we do as leaders.

 Pandemic – Changed the way, we are working. There is a science, and today we know a little more. It’s our responsibility to understand.

 Need for the session is - Confidentiality of personal story, break to ask question. Experience sharing, openness, Icebreaking-warmup session, Rapport, willingness to listen, interest from others, Empathy,  No Judgement.

 Wellbeing drivers:

Pillars – Physical(sleep, activity, recovery, nutrition), Emotional (feelings), Mental(cognitive), Spiritual

 These drivers – gives a sense of purpose – giving us energy and passion – making us productive human being.

 Street words commonly used to refer to someone with a mental health issue are words like Abnormal, Mental, Something wrong, crazy, and many more. Mental health is a state of well being, Range of state of mind – will be anywhere in between good mental health and poor mental health.  Where we are in the range depends and influence our thoughts and behavior.

What constitute illness?

Does it impact your day to day behavior, persist over time period, Might need medication, therapy , support. In most cases people do recover completely.

What affects this state of mental health for you?

 All of us have stress buckets – some have large, and some have small, some are able to absorb, some are unable. If buckets overflow, problems develop. Larger the bucket you are more vulnerable. It is important to have a tap or hole in the bucket.  Which are positive coping mechanisms, which will help the stress out. It could be positive or negative. Negative coping mechanisms will cause more stress eg. Drinking will lead to domestic abuse. What is small for you, might be bigger for someone else. We all have different sized buckets. It’s not good to have large buckets, as it might lead to burnout. Eg. Fatigue, tired, anger. Little stresses help us get things done.

 Facts on how Covid 19 is impacting people.

11% of lost job, 38% people depressing, 40% people complain about stress; productivity is shown as dropping. 

Factors contributing, to psychological effects of covid 19 – uncertainty, disruption in social connection, WFH, different schedule, fear, financial anxiety, change in family system, decision fatigue, concerns about older parents and younger children.

Psychological effects : Increased fight or flight feeling, Reduced immune system, Disrupted sleep, Increased feelings of stress/anxiety/desperation/sadness

 It is really important that we as leaders are cognizant of this and send the message that it is okay to experience these feelings.

 Possible causes of distress:

Jobs are more than a paycheck, Work provides a sense of identity, Psychological benefits that comes from being productive

 EAP (Employee Assistance Programme); work based intervention – to assist employees. Online, F2F, By appointment, Walk-in, Counsellor, Psychologist, Therapist, Psychiatrist

Who will notice and act?

Managers/Team leaders; Friends; Colleagues/Team Mate; HR

MHFA – Mental Health first aid ; trained staff.

 Anxiety and Depression

What do you feel when you are anxious?

Physical(sweating, headache, missed heartbeat); emotional (worry, fear, anger, nervousness); Behavioral (avoiding, distress, OCD, drinking, smoking, sleep); Cognitive (Indecision, confusion, blame, blank) ,  - Reminded of the movie Patch Adams

 What happens with these?

• Immune system is repressed
• Heart beats faster, pumps more blood,
• Lungs – breathing becomes faster and shallow
• Skin – sweating
• Pancreas – Sugar rise
• Endocrine  - Pumps out adrenaline , releases less growth hormone,

You and the person feel that they are going to die,

Symptoms of Depression

Physical – loss of energy, fatigue, change in weight, aches/paings

Behavioral –Crying, sleep, drinks,

Emotional – Sadness, guilt, anger,

Cognitive – self-doubt, confusion, worry, loss of judgement and concentration

 Alcohol is a depressant.

 Some put masks, but when it drops the person will be very exhausted.

 Realise that the person needs professional help. We need to be aware of the signs and symptoms and what we can do.

 Coping during Covid 19

Experience emotional exhaustion but coping mechanisms have vanished. If you notice team member is not functioning to his/her full potential due to stress they need to be asked to consult a counselor, don't ask them to take leave or put them on PAP and if you experience any of the symptoms discussed; reach out to family and friend, take professional help – don’t prefer to deal with it yourself, or ignore it.

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Biotype and Mental resilience:

 Rumination, Negative bias, Threat response – fight or flight, anxious avoidance, Cognitive fog, Inattention, Emotional numbness, context insensitivity, (loose motivation, interest)

 Recharge strategy and Micro steps – (Brain is muscle and the current situation is like a marathon – so we have to practice to build up the muscles with baby steps, to build the capabilities)

 Healthy baby steps – social media control, breathing technique, right source of information, think about what your are grateful for – positive thoughts,

 WFH Practical guidelines: Nutrition/Fitness/ Mind/Connect. What you eat is important., set up an office space, have regular breaks, make sure you are getting  exercise, limit social media, have a routine day, have a regular lunch break and make sure it is away from your workspace, eat healthy, stay dehydrated, be mindful of being present at home

 Life after Lockdown: Pandemic will not go, there will be blended WFH options, Increased VUCA (Volatile/Uncertinity/Complexity/Ambiguity), Wellbeings, Communicate, listen, show compassion, Be present, Build relationships.

 To Do:

Instill trust, provide hope, give stability, show compassion.

Listen, communicate, be mindful and aware of symptoms, Trust and empower team, know what organization is doing.

Connect - Please be fully present.

 Helplines: Available.

 Counseling skills for managers

• Listen, Listen, Listen, Listen, Listen
• Identify the problem
• Trust and confidence
• Respect, concern and being valued
• Appropriate Information
• Confidentiality
• Encourage help-seeking behaviour

 Re-Anchor:

• What am I grateful for today?
• Who am I connecting with or checking in today?
• What expectations of ‘normal’ am I letting go of today?
• How am I getting outside today?
• What thing of beauty or joy am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?

Mental/Emotional/Physical -) Drives -)Energy and passion -) Productive Human Being

Close your eyes – breath in through nose – 4 count, keep in  - 6 count and breath out with mouth – 8 count. (Do it for 6 to 8 times)

Focus and concentration exercise: Eyes closed, and sit relaxed completely – aware of breathing, chair its texture, cloth wearing, sounds around us, - Think about the last vacation you took.  With whom you went, and how did you go? Did you enjoy? Think about the last wedding you went to?

 5 management skills that will be put to the test. 

1. Leadership;
2. Challenge & Upheaval;
3. Engaging Employees;
4. Communication;
5. Delegating & Coaching Employees

 Managers/Individuals need to be the Chief Listening Officers. Future belongs to listeners.