Is the second year of the pandemic a time for business as usual, or are there other things we all need to do to remaining productive and guarding one’s mental health? Top executives and CEOs have had their hands full with coming up with solutions. How can you maintain productivity in a leadership role without sacrificing your health? Many corporations employ remote workers, where employees may want to be at home because they want more flexibility in their schedules.
However, can businesses ensure that consistent quality work is being done remotely, and are they working cohesively as a team? Time will tell, and this will impact corporate health and the bottom line. How would communication between members of the organization be? For some, the lack of face-to-face communication is a relief, but they thrive on in-person, social relationships for others. These are just of the few questions that are top of mind.
The world is changing and complicated by the Coronavirus pandemic. Many of us got a taste of working remotely and not dealing with commutes. Now, more than ever, it is so important to be proactive. `Burnout is often synonymous with challenges in one’s mental health.
Taking care of one’s mental health takes active, proactive, and consistent work. I will outline a few ways for busy professionals to guard their mental health while still being productive.
1) Regular Exercise: It sounds so basic, but daily exercise is important. It’s great for your mood and your health and not to mention your waistline.
2) Skip The Drive Through: Yes, it is convenient, but we don’t need the extra calories, high-fat foods.
3) Deal With Unresolved Issues: I can’t stress this one enough. So many people attempt to bury their problems, but sadly the problems end up resurfacing in other areas of your life.
4) Drink Lots of Water: The 8 plus cup rule applies to most people. Plus, based on one’s weight and occupation and weather conditions, you might find yourself needing more. Keeping a refillable water bottle with you at all times is a great way to remember to drink more water.
5) Avoid Drugs and Alcohol: Limiting or eliminating alcohol is the better choice. If you are using drugs or alcohol to help one relax, there are underlying issues, and it’s time to seek help.
6) Get Support: Find a trusted mentor, therapist, or doctor, to name a few, to help you identify your challenges and get the help you need.
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has considered burnout a recognized condition. This burnout can be seen in individuals with declining and stressed mental health. Burnout and mental health mainly fall on individual responsibility. Even if one has a great corporate environment, with many perks and benefits, if you or your team are unhealthy, you will have decreased productivity and increased absenteeism.
In the Harvard Business Review, they noticed that when Stanford researched extrapolated the data to see how stress affects mortality and morbidity, they found a staggering 190 billion dollars was attributed to stress.
According to the American Psychological Association, businesses that didn’t provide the framework to support the emotional well beings of employees have high staff turnover, decreased productivity, and higher group healthcare costs. Burnout and mentally stressed employees are more likely to leave their workplace, resulting in companies investing more money into retraining their employees. In some cases, the employees play a vital role, which can be crippling to a company, especially if the departure was sudden.
It’s time for us all to really pay attention to mental health. It’s not something that just yoga and meditation will fix, and it’s far more than that. It takes deliberate, strategic, and consistent work on behalf of the individual and the corporation as a whole. To remain competitive in this challenging economy, one must not forget the basics.
To continue to be the face of your organization, you need to be at your best state physically and mentally. The tools to stay sound so basic, but it’s amazing how most people do not follow them all consistently. With support, accountability, and appropriate systems in place, you can support your mental health while remaining relevant in a very competitive world.