May is Mental Health Awareness Month- Learn How You Can Support Your Employees This Month
Author: Leah Stephens
This month, take the time to educate yourself about mental health and foster a supportive workplace for your employees and co-workers.
“A lot of people are living with mental illness around them. Either you love one or you are one.”
The extent of mental illnesses.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and it is important to note what we all can be doing for ourselves, along with our friends, families, and colleagues to recognize and honor mental well-being. Mental illnesses plague those around us each day and those struggling with mental illnesses may be hiding this, as 1 in every 5 U.S. adults battle mental illnesses each day. To put this into perspective, for every 5 people that you pass on the street walking to get lunch, 1 of them is fighting a daily battle against chemicals in their own brain.
Although there is no way to completely eradicate mental illnesses and relieve the pain of those around us, there are many ways that we can improve our own mental health and motivate those around us to take steps to prioritize their mental well-being.
What can you do to help.
Mental Health Awareness Month works to educate people on how to combat mental illnesses, and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illnesses. There is no time like the present for you to introduce mental health awareness campaigns to your company and learn how you can ease some of the pain that your co-workers and employees may be suffering through.
Tips on Where to Start
· Support work-life balance. This can look like offering more personal days or a more flexible work schedule in terms of the location (remote or in-office) and hours.
· Re-examine the insurance policy provided by your company to insure it covers mental health benefits. By ensuring mental health for your employees, they are more likely to seek out treatment from a licensed therapist of psychiatrist.
· Offer an employee volunteer program for your employees. Engaging in volunteerism is proven to have a positive impact on mental health as people create connections with new people and find a sense of purpose outside of work.
Volunteering not only benefits the community and mental well-being, but also the company that employees work for.
Volunteering helps employees feel more empowered and helps them develop their skills further, which helps them in the workplace. Additionally, by offering employees an opportunity to engage in corporate social responsibility with their team, they can improve their teamwork skills to make them more cohesive on projects in the workplace. By fostering empowerment, confidence in skills, and comradery within teams, employees will feel better about themselves and the people around them, improving their mental health.
If your someone you know is struggling with mental health, our nonprofit partner, Engage and Heal, is an excellent resource to reach out to.
A couple of our favorite nonprofit partners, and resources, supporting mental health to share include:
Providing opportunity and community for those living with a mental health diagnosis.
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Providing easy and intuitive access to an excellent collection of mental-health resources and best practices.