Mental health issues are as real as physical injuries. However, their seriousness is greatly undermined by the society due to the lack of physical symptoms. In fact, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) has reported that one in every five Canadians face mental health issues. These issues have a disabling impact on people and greatly affect workplace attendance and productivity. In fact, 500, 000 Canadians take a leave from work every year due to these problems.
How are Mental Illnesses Translated Into Your Work?
Mental illnesses can present themselves in many ways. They affect people’s moods and the way they think and feel and therefore, are often translated into their performance at work. For instance, even the slightest change in the work environment can have a huge impact on the psychological health of a person. Things like an unreasonable supervisors, unachievable targets, workplace politics, uncooperative management and health issues could significantly impact your state of mind and lower your performance.
Any personal issues that negatively impact your mental health will also leach into your performance productivity. You might experience an inability to concentrate or condition your brain against the environmental stimuli. Another way this could affect you is by lowering your stamina and making it hard for you to handle time-sensitive tasks.
This mental state also makes it difficult for you to accept negative feedback and make necessary changes. It also affects your socializing power by making interaction with fellow colleagues a struggle. While some people would still be able to manage despite the negativity, others have a lower threshold for these stressors and might not be able to cope.
Mental illnesses can also be seasonal. You might have a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), where you’ll experience withdrawal, depression, or an ability to focus, typically during the winters.
Enhanced Mental Health
There are ways in which mental health can be enhanced to get you out of your state of depression. If it’s just SAD; healthy lunches, daylight lamps and shuffled seating arrangements would play a major role in improving your state of mind.
However, in the much more deep-seated issues, it is imperative to stay vigilant and raise awareness to remove the attached stigma on these issues. This would allow employees to feel confident in talking to their managers about their mental state. According to research, only 23% of Canadian workers feel comfortable sharing their mental health issues with their employers at this point.
You could also play a part in making your workplace more mental health friendly but you need to be very careful with the way you do it. At Metro Safety, we offer you first aid training courses in order to assist your colleagues or employees in getting out of their depressive state. Contact us now at 604-521-4227 and enroll in our program offered in Surrey!
