World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10th every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. It provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.
This year’s theme was Mental Health in the Workplace. At Redstone, we believe in people and trust – being appreciative and respectful of all the people we work with, and maintaining trust between our team, our clients and our partners – in order to allow us to work together to achieve big things.
Did you know that in 2016, Forbes ranked event coordinator as the 5th most stressful job? We wanted to take a moment to share with you some of the questions we can ask ourselves and our colleagues in order to help identify workplace stressors, support the development of coping strategies and, ultimately, foster success.
What tasks or parts of tasks do you find most stressful? Everyone is different – some people experience anxiety when speaking in front of a group of people, while on the phone, or when staring at a full inbox, to name a few. Finding out what creates the most stress for you or your team will start the conversation about how you can help each other through one another’s most challenging situations and offer some of your tips and tricks.
How do you feel about receiving constructive feedback? Would you prefer receiving feedback in real time, in a monthly meeting, verbally or through email, etc.? Expressing your preference on where and when you feel the most comfortable will ultimately ensure that you are receiving information in the most positive and easily digestible way.
Do you work well under pressure or do prefer long lead-up times in order to feel good about the task at hand? Some people thrive under pressure, while others may get overwhelmed, which may impact their ability to think critically in these situations. Understanding how each of us work can help plan team initatives, because two conflicting styles trying to work together can sometimes unintentionally create a stressful environment. For example, a planning-ahead personality may feel a project is behind schedule when working with a thrive-under-pressure personality, or the latter may feel micro-managed or doubted by the former.
Most importantly, keep an open and honest approach. No two experiences are the same, but by sharing awareness on mental health in the workplace we can help identify solutions before they become problematic.