HOW TO BE MENTALLY FIT AT WORK

At Corporate Personal Wellbeing we know the intrinsic connection between mental and physical health at work.

Many of the initiatives we design for organisations include both elements.

Our research shows that the most effective way to improve employee wellbeing is to combine mental health and physical health where we can.

There are huge similarities between the two elements.

Everybody knows the concept that if you want good physical health, then you train to be physically fit. The same can be said for mental health. If you want good mental health, then you need to train to be mentally fit too.

Let’s look at an example.

When we feel stressed a part of the brain called the hypothalamus tells our bodies to release stress hormones. This tiny part of the brain, no bigger than a pea, begins the process of preparing our bodies so that we can face the danger we perceive or even run from it. This is the fight or flight response.

When you experience this, your mind and body work together to protect you. It can increase your focus, which can be a good thing at work, but it can also make it difficult to solve problems and to think things through – rarely a good situation at work.

Remaining in fight or flight mode, being under stress, for extended periods can cause poor mental health. The long-term production of stress hormones can damage the function of the brain leading to a lower ability to learn. It can affect your memory too.

To improve our mental health and resilience at work we must improve our mental fitness and we can do this by training.

How to improve our mental health at work.

There are also hormones such as endorphins or ‘happy hormones’. These can help us feel less stressed. They can be produced by exercising, relaxing, or even doing creative things we enjoy.

The important part is not to try and do these things just when we feel stress coming on, but to practice endorphin production regularly. It is remarkably similar to brushing your teeth. We do this regularly to prevent gum disease. Practising endorphin production regularly can help us prevent and deal with stress.

There are lots of things you can do at work that can make you feel engaged, calm and contented.

We design initiatives specifically for this, but you can try some simple ones such as:

• Walking to work
• Exercising at lunchtime
• Tring yoga at your desk
• Listening to music in the office
• Taking a break and reading a book during breaks.

It’s important to choose something you enjoy and do it regularly. Soon, you will be able to feel the happy hormones keep the stress ones at bay. This training will keep you mentally fit and healthy at work.