WORKPLACE WELLNESS:WHEN YOU “FEEL” SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING – Wendy Blanchard, M.S., CHHC, CPS
Emotions are the drivers of our emotional capacity, and they are our signals whether it is safe to approach, or to avoid approaching.
Did you know that our work environment affects how we feel, and affects our physical and mental health? Yes! The climate and culture impacts our performance and creativity, and even drives our creativity if we are in a healthy, friendly, and supportive environment!
Connection and empathy are key! Having the ability to enjoy and celebrate others, and have others celebrate us in our individuality, our accomplishments, support us in our challenges, and feeling a sense of camaraderie, all promote individual well being that filters out into all areas of our life, including creating a wellness environment in the workplace! And, good mental health, connection and empathy supports our immune system!
Consider this, and even take notes for one week to take the temperature of the situation…
-How do you feel when you wake up in the morning as you are getting ready for your day at work? (sluggish, frustrated, excited, motivated, unwell overall?)
-How do you feel throughout the day amongst your peers, subordinates, supervisors, colleagues? (teamwork, isolated?)
-How supported do you feel when you are “feeling” your mental health moving on the continuum towards feeling unwell? (Are you “safe” in asking for support, do you “feel” afraid of speaking your truth, do you mask it, repress it, or use an “acceptable” physical ailment to take a mental health/self care break?)
-Do you stress over your job/career even once you are “off the clock,” or do you feel inspired and motivated to get back to work the next day, after day?
How do YOU feel? Why? How can you improve your environment individually, and as a team?
First, we must open the dialogue on mental health! We all have mental health. It rests on a continuum and will be non linear depending upon our environment, biological factors, our physical health, stressors, and even our self care, day to day. And, just the same way that we take care of our physical health when we are feeling unwell, we must take care of our mental health. There is a direct correlation between our mental and physical health.
If you notice, for example, that you are experiencing, for two weeks or more, symptoms of anxiety as you are getting ready for your work day, and/or throughout your work day, such as increased heart rate, palpitations, headache, nausea, difficulty concentrating, excessive nervousness, racing thoughts, decreased appetite, sleep difficulties at night, you need to pause, and get in touch with your inner being. What is YOUR truth? What is it that is at the foundation of this mental health challenge? What is it that is in your own power to create a change that will promote your overall wellness? Who can you enlist in creating this change to ensure a healthy workplace environment? What can you offer yourself in this moment as a healthy self care practice to begin to move back towards wellness on the continuum?
It is all in your power. Stand in your power. Speak your truth, first, to yourself, and then to whomever it is in your organization that is responsible for creating policy designed to support healthy behavior in the workplace, and to improve health outcomes. Validate your own feelings and emotions. YOU are ALLOWED to feel however you feel. Do not allow anyone to say to you, “You should not feel that way,” or “Don’t feel that way.” We don’t want to be talked out of our feelings…we want to be seen, heard, felt, and validated.
Mental Health America reports that “less than 1/3 of Americans are happy with their work, and half are “checked out.” For more information on workplace wellness, please click this link for Mental Health America
https://www.mhanational.org/signs-healthy-workplace.
We all have to be our own advocate for our overall health. Whether it is in our work environment, our home environment, or within our community.
When you FEEL something, SAY something. Otherwise, we are promoting dis-ease, dis-order, and dys-regulation amongst ourselves, which bleeds into all areas of our lives, and ripples out into our relationships and environments. Do not dishonor and disown your needs and desires for wellness.
For information on how I can support you in reaching your individual health and wellness goals, please go to my Contact page here www.harmonioushealthforlife.com/contact, or email me at wendyblanchard044@gmail.com.
“Self care is the actions that we take to achieve wellness, and wellness is where we stand in our power.”
Love and blessings,
Wendy
