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Today, October 10th is World Mental Health Day.

 

World Mental Health Day was created in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health and is celebrated every October 10th. In 1994, it was decided to have a different theme every year. 2024's theme is Mental Health at Work, "It's time to prioritize mental health in the workplace." 

 

The WFMH calls for us to become a unified voice to prioritize mental health in the workplace. Better mental health leads to things like improved job satisfaction, productivity, and the work environment. Prioritizing mental health should not just be the job of the worker. It should also be important to the employers. We need to do away with the "suck it up," overworked, stress-inducing, and self-esteem-eroding workplace many experience today. We also need to work on eliminating the stigma that accompanies mental health issues and create avenues for open communication and empathy.

 

You can find resources to help promote better mental health in the workplace at the WFMH website. 

 

https://wmhdofficial.com/about-2024/

 

Here are a few suggestions from us at the Kanter Center.

 

1. Become an advocate for mental health at your workplace. You can do it alone or create a team that works together to bring awareness of the issues and work towards finding solutions. Of course, don't compromise your mental health in the process.

 

2. Look into how you can improve your work/life balance. You will never find a perfect balance, but you can find ways to ensure your work doesn't overshadow your life. Don't forget to do things for yourself that reduce your stress and lift your spirits. The better we care for our mental health, the better we can tackle the challenging aspects of work. 

 

3. Suggest implementing workshops, programs, and events that provide mental health support at work. This includes not only team-building programs but also something that helps employees who might not have resources outside of work or could use additional support while at work. It could be a daily group walk, leading breathing exercises, or a group stretch break. My favorite is a dance break!

 

4. Create a supportive community at the workplace. As an employer, make sure your employees know they can talk to you about mental health issues without fear of stigma or repercussions. Create an open and supportive work culture that supports everyone. Check in with each other and find ways to make the environment more inclusive and conducive to better mental health.

 

Toxic work environments are not productive. We must make better mental health an essential part of professional success.