It’s easy to pass mental health off as something that other people struggle with. However, you have mental health too. This isn’t something you only have when you’re down or feeling stressed. Mental health is with you all the time.
Just as physical health is always with you, sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes just fine, the same goes for your mental health.
We often hear people say things like “I’m struggling with my mental health”, or “I had a mental health issue”, but when you break those phrases down, they tell you one thing - everyone has mental health 100% of the time. Sometimes your mental health isn’t an issue at all, and everything is ticking along nicely. Sometimes your mental health could be better and you need to take some time for self-care and relaxation. Other times your mental health may not be so great and you need to rest, talk to someone, and perhaps even reach out for help.
.jpg)
There is still a stigma attached to mental health conditions, do the point where many people keep their struggles to themselves. This is something that needs to change. Mental health isn’t something we should feel ashamed about - we all have it, after all. You don’t tend to hear people being shy about their physical health most of the time, we’re quite open about feeling unwell, needing tests, or something else (most of the time at least). Why can’t we be as open when it comes to our mental health?
For a more rounded overview of just how much of an issue mental health conditions can be when left to foster, check out this infographic.
Source - https://www.ncchomelearning.co.uk/blog/mental-health-in-the-uk/
Mental health awareness is something we all need to focus on. Within a workplace environment, managers need to do their best to raise awareness of common issues such as workplace stress, anxiety, and mental health in the workplace in general.
We can all support one another, but first we need to knock down the stigma and make it easier for people to reach out and get help. There should be no judgement, no confusion and no shock when someone says that they need to talk about something because it’s causing them to feel stressed or down. We shouldn’t whisper behind someone’s back if they take a while off work due to depression. We should focus on building people up and being more sympathetic to mental health, just as we are physical health.