Leading a team requires a tremendous amount of effort. It is impossible to be an effective leader for long if your mental health is not taken care of properly. There are many facets to mental health, but these habits can help you address some of the larger ones. A leader’s mental health will permeate throughout the organization. When you show fear, worry, or anxiety, it will create the same feelings in your team.
Open Communication
Being honest with the people around you is an essential step to rebounding from poor mental health. Although confiding in your friends and family is a given, it can also be beneficial to be open with your coworkers and boss. Some work environments may discourage this, but being honest about your feelings can lead to better work if you are in an open-minded environment. For example, if you were given a time-sensitive project that makes you feel stressed, letting your team know that you need to take a step back can be beneficial. Opening up does not require you to tell your entire life story or provide details. All you need to do is let those who work with you know when you are having a bit of an off day.
Empathy
Being grateful for your lot in life is a valuable perspective to have. Abraham Lincoln once said that we could be disappointed that rose bushes have thorns or grateful that thorn bushes have roses. That perspective is essential as a leader. When you are thankful for what you have, you tend to be a happier person. Similarly, when you are empathetic to other people’s needs, your coworkers will naturally become more empathetic to your situation too. That empathy is vital as a leader since you will need it to be perceptive about the needs of your team members.
Physical Health
A significant factor of poor mental health is poor physical health. Most people struggle in this area for one of a few reasons. It could be a lack of sleep, eating foods that are not nutritious, or avoiding exercise. Each of these is vital areas to tackle to give yourself a baseline for good mental health. That is not to say that one late night or a fast food dinner will make you feel awful for days. However, when you do not stay consistent with your physical health, your mental health will gradually suffer.
Delegating Tasks
Sometimes, mental health issues are exacerbated by taking on too many projects at once. In some situations, you may be the only person who can work on four projects, but the fifth one is busywork that you can assign elsewhere. Make sure to delegate tasks that are causing unnecessary stress and do not require your attention. Be careful, though, that you are not overloading one of your team members with these tasks. Delegating should be done sparingly, and if it is needed frequently, it may be worthwhile to have a more in-depth conversation with your boss about your workload.
Leading others to success requires you to have some level of success as well. One piece of success is good mental health; without it, you may struggle to do well in your job and other areas of your life. Address the areas as mentioned earlier to get a start on improving your mental health.