Mental Health and Wellbeing Is a Universal Human Right (Driving Positive Change)
What does World Mental Health Day mean to you?
What does “It’s ok not to feel ok; and it’s absolutely ok to ask for help” mean to your reality?
Are the conversations around our mental health and wellbeing happening? Are we having the ‘crucial conversation’, or are we just talking about talking?
World Mental Health Day is a day to raise awareness – a reminder to monitor our mental health and wellbeing and that of those around us. As an employer, ask yourself: are you proactive in safeguarding your own mental health and wellbeing? How, as an employer, can you effectively support your employees if you are not taking care of yourself? How, as an employee, are you proactive in safeguarding your mental health and wellbeing, and that of your colleagues?
Ensuring mental health and wellbeing is a team effort in its truest form.
The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day (10 October, 2023) amplifies universality: ‘mental health is a universal human right’. Everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, must have access to quality mental health and wellbeing care.
It is our personal and professional duty to care about our own mental health and wellbeing. It is our personal and professional duty to care about the mental health and wellbeing of others. It the duty of all of us to drive positive change around mental health and wellbeing.
To struggle, to be anxious, to be fearful, to be lonely, to be burnt out or to be depressed are universal challenges. We all experience these emotions at some point in our lives. This is a reassuring truth because it means we can all identify with these feelings, and no one need feel alone in the experience of them.
It is important to recognise each other, recognise our work and recognise our efforts. It is important to affirm one another, our purpose and our achievements. Assurance must prevail, so that there is no embarrassment in seeking help when tough times come along. Seeking help is the only thing to do. Seeking help is the intelligent thing to do. When it rains, we put up an umbrella. When it’s a slippery surface, we salt it, to steady us. Why, then, would we be reticent when it comes to minding ourselves, taking care of ourselves and asking for help?
Whether we are an employer or an employee, we all own the responsibility to create a supportive work environment. We all own a responsibility to be understanding and flexible in the face of stress and anxiety. We all have a responsibility to provide care and help to those around us. Everyone must feel safe in sharing openly and honestly their struggles, circumstances and challenges.
Our mental health and wellbeing are essentials that we need to take care of every day. By talking about it, we are building trust, advocating better care and creating a healthier world: a world where everyone is recognised and valued, and has an opportunity to live a wholesome and fulfilling life.
At I Am Here, we can help you create a working environment that will serve your people, your business and you.
