Laying in a fetal position sobbing under my desk in the office of our family auto repair shop, I just wanted to die. A long time coming, my mental health had been deteriorating quickly over the past few months. At a crossroads, something needed to change. I literally couldn’t do my job, much less be effective in my work. Thankfully, my husband worked with me to make adjustments so that I could be effective in my job and I sought professional help from my doctor to get the right diagnosis and the right medications to help me function.
I’m not the only one.
I follow a woman on Instagram whose mission is to bring awareness about bipolar disorder by sharing about her experience with the illness. For a long time she couldn’t work because of her severe symptoms. More recently, however, she has gotten her illness under control, and started back to work. But, she became worried that, due to her Instagram posts, that her employer would find out about her disorder. She didn’t want this knowledge to negatively impact her employment.
Mental illness aside, at a time when I was mentally stable, I had a job where I felt stifled, which made me less willing to go out of my way to see the organization succeed. I thought, “What’s the point?” and was unmotivated to work hard and was looking for a way out. When a new supervisor came in who cared about my mental health within my position, I had a complete turn around. Suddenly I was excited about the work I was doing and was more willing to go above and beyond to see the organization succeed.
I have found that a lot of people with mental health problems are harmfully affected in their employment, even to the point of losing their jobs because of the stigma of mental health concerns. The World Health Organization (WHO) states, “People with severe mental health conditions are more likely to be excluded from employment, and when in employment, they are more likely to experience inequality at work.”
What’s to be done?
If someone has a health disorder that is impeding their work, whether visible or not, it is in the employer’s best interest to find out how to work with them. Most of the time, someone with a mental health condition is still capable of performing the job, they just might need to go about it in a different way.
Not only do both employers and employees need to have a better understanding of mental health and how to approach it in the workplace, but we also need to put together a plan for our own mental health. Employers also need to work with employees on creating a mental health plan.
What is Mental Health?
I think the first thing we need to do to combat the poor effects of mental health on the workplace is to first and foremost have a better understanding of what “mental health” actually is.
The WHO defines mental health as, “A state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.” The WHO continues by saying, “It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development.”
Did you get that last part? I’ll quote it again:
“Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development.”
What The WHO claims as a basic human right, American society largely undervalues and even makes light of. We need to change the stigma and I believe that change needs to start where most Americans spend the majority of their week: the workplace.
Basic Health and Wellbeing
You can’t expect to be physically healthy if you don’t eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. Unfortunately, studies show* that the majority of American adults are not physically healthy. This concerning fact is important because having basic health and wellbeing practices are just as important for your mental health as for your physical health. In fact, humans are mental, physical, and spiritual beings. These three parts work together for optimal holistic health.
You may be thinking, “But I don’t have a mental illness. How does this apply to me?” The answer is that we all have mental health needs, whether we have a mental health disorder or not. We can still struggle to have optimal mental health and not have a diagnosable mental illness.
With our country’s emphasis on working a lot of hours in order to get ahead, there is no wonder as to why we are of such poor physical and mental health.
Burnout is a real problem in the American workforce. SHRM.org shares that around half of all employees are experiencing burnout of some kind.
Someone who is not eating well, not exercising, and is overworked clearly cannot have good mental health and cannot be expected to work effectively. Basic health and wellbeing of employees is essential to running a good business. Workers need healthy work hours and time to engage in activities that support a person’s mental and physical health. Likewise, the employer needs to take care of their own health in order to manage a healthy work environment for their employees.
I’ve been in a position where I felt stifled at work, which made me less willing to go out of my way to see the organization succeed. I thought, “What’s the point?” and was unmotivated to work hard and was looking for a way out. When a new supervisor came in who cared about my mental health within my position, I had a complete turn around. Suddenly I was excited about the work I was doing and was more willing to go above and beyond to see the organization succeed.
Mental Health Disorders
Aside from the problem of stress and burnout in the American workforce, the rate of mental health disorders in American society is higher than you might think. The WHO defines mental illness as, “Characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour. It is usually associated with distress or impairment in important areas of functioning.”
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that, “It is estimated that more than one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (59.3 million in 2022; 23.1% of the U.S. adult population).” Those statistics are just those who have been diagnosed. There are many people out there who have a mental illness and do not know it.
I suffered from my early teens into my mid-twenties with my bipolar disorder before I reached out for professional help and didn’t get a proper diagnosis until my mid-thirties. You better believe my mental illness affected my job performance! I wasn’t able to figure out how to adapt my work environment to accommodate my mental illness, and vice-versa, until I had a diagnosis.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, mental health refers to your effectiveness in functioning in daily activities and mental illness refers to diagnosable mental disorders. These disorders include anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), eating disorders, and schizophrenia, among others. Everyone needs to manage their mental health, but people with a mental illness need to get professional help.
If you find that you are struggling mentally for two or more weeks with no relief, I recommend reaching out to your General Physician (GP). If your mental health disorder is circumstantial/temporary or minor, they can prescribe medication for relief of your symptoms. However, medication should not be a substitute for also pursuing meeting with a certified therapist. If your disorder is chronic, your GP and/or therapist may refer you to a psychiatrist to help you find the right course of medication.
The U.S. Department of Labor states, “The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that one in five people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime, and one in four Americans currently knows someone who has a mental health condition. It is likely that most employers have at least one employee with a mental health condition.” So, educating yourself and being aware of those around you is important in order to maintain healthy relationships and promote a healthy work environment, especially if you are in a leadership position within your job.
How do you approach your employer about your mental health needs?
When approaching your mental health needs within your job, you need to first know your rights, but you also need to have open lines of communication between boss and employee.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, any person with a disability, whether it is visible or not, such as with a mental illness, has a right to accommodations in the workplace. This may include, for example, more flexible work hours, more frequent breaks, or medical leave.
If you have any kind of medical diagnosis that could affect your work, you should be up front with your employer from the start. Have a doctor’s note and a plan for accommodations ready, and show your boss how you plan to still get your work done within those parameters.
How do you get the conversation started? There’s a great article from the Harvard Business Review that has some good pointers to start with. In summary,
- Have an understanding of what mental health issue you are dealing with and specifically how your condition is affecting your work.
- Make a plan for the conversation: Consider your company’s culture, whether they are going to be sensitive to your needs. Then, know your legal rights. Finally, know what accommodations would be most helpful for you to be successful at your job.
- Figure out who the safest person to speak with is and how much detail you are going to share about your mental health.
- Have the conversation, planning more time than you think you’ll need. Explain your situation and your proposal for accommodations.
Do your research and, if you are a Christian, pray before your meeting, inviting the Holy Spirit into the conversation.
How do you respond to your employees about their mental health needs?
If someone has a health disorder that is impeding their work, whether visible or not, it is in the employer’s best interest to find out how to work with them. Most of the time, someone with a mental health condition is still capable of performing the job, they just might need to go about it in a different way.
If you are an employer, it is in your best interest for the company to foster a healthy work environment for your employees. Happy employees are ones who are excited about the vision and mission of your organization. They are motivated to, not just succeed personally, but to see the organization as a whole succeed. Everyone in an organization would benefit from having a concrete mental health plan.
How to Make a Holistic Health Plan
Whether you are just seeking to live a holistically healthy life, or are dealing with a mental illness, making a health plan will help you navigate the work/life balance you need. There are a few steps you can take to make achievable goals for your physical, spiritual, and mental health.
1. Begin an exercise routine.
Exercise routines are going to look different for everyone. If you think, “I just don’t like to exercise,” you probably just haven’t figured out the right kind of physical activity for you! You may need to try a few kinds of activities to figure out what you like, because the likelihood you are going to continue depends on whether or not you actually enjoy the exercise and feel good afterwards.
If you aren’t sure, start with walking. There are many health benefits to walking 30 minutes a day, four days a week. If you feel like you don’t have time for exercise, consider incorporating walking into your lunch hour or invite co-workers to have a meeting while walking. Doing small things like parking further from the building or using the stairs is also a great way to add in more exercise into your day.
You can also join a gym. Most gyms have personal trainers and will offer a complimentary training session upon joining. They will ask you what your goals are and show you types of exercise that will help you toward that goal.
If you aren’t used to a regular exercise routine, start by exercising just one day a week to start. Once that one day becomes a habit, add another day until you’re exercising for at least 30 minutes, four days each week.
Take a few minutes to write down your exercise plan for the next thirty days.
2. Create healthy eating habits.
We all know that we should eat healthy, but doing it is another thing entirely. I think that one of the main excuses we have for not eating healthier is because we are so busy. I know that busyness is my main excuse! What I’ve learned is that eating healthy is not that hard if I plan ahead.
Each week when I’m planning out my week on my calendar/to-do list, I create a weekly meal plan. As I’m doing this, I plan what day I’m going to do the shopping (and to be honest, I usually use a grocery delivery service), what days I’m going to cook and what days we’re going to eat leftovers. Yes, I said it. Leftovers. I usually cook a bunch one to two times a week and then we eat leftovers the rest of the week.
Also have lots of healthy snacks available. Actually, five small meals a day will metabolize a lot easier than three big meals a day.
As with exercise, if you’re not in the habit of eating healthy, start small. It can be helpful to write down everything you eat for one week to see where your unhealthy habits are. Then, eating one healthy meal a day is better than none. So, my suggestion is to start with breakfast. Eat a healthy breakfast every day for a week and make note of how much better you feel throughout the day. Once that becomes a habit, find ways to eat healthier snacks, then healthier lunches, and finally healthier dinners. By adding in healthy food in increments, you are more likely going to continue on that path.
What is one thing you need to change in your eating habits? How are you going to accomplish this?
3. Make time for hobbies.
Hobbies to support mental health? This may seem to come from left field, but go with me on this. Studies show that having a hobby supports your overall happiness and mental well-being. Hobbies keep your brain active and many foster creativity, which can be a great break from a stressful day or week of work. Even God took a day of rest after creating the world, and he commands us to honor the sabbath. Hobbies can help us do that.
I recently found that I was mindlessly scrolling on social media and online in order to keep my restless hands busy. I knew that this scrolling wasn’t good for my mental health, so I took up crocheting to keep my hands busy and noticed a considerable difference. I found crocheting to be very calming for my mind and it helped me to relax.
Do you have a hobby? If so, are you actively engaged? If not, what is one hobby you’d like to take up?
4. Make time for positive relationships.
You probably find it obvious, and likely you’ve experienced for yourself, that unhealthy relationships take a toll on your overall health, particularly on your mental health. So setting boundaries in our relationships, or cutting off unhealthy ones altogether is a must. But are we focusing our time on those relationships which build us up?
Especially if you have a spouse and children, spending time with those close to you is important. These people help you have a sense of purpose, can give much needed physical affection, and the support and encouragement you need on a daily basis.
Name one relationship you would like to foster more. How will you do this?
5. Develop your spiritual life.
If you are at all familiar with this blog, you will know that I’m a strong Christian whose goal is to draw people to a relationship with Jesus. My firm belief is that if you have nothing else, engaging in a relationship with Jesus is a huge part of a life of holistic wellness. If you don’t know Jesus but would like to explore the idea, start here.
If you aren’t a Christian and aren’t interested, I’m not going to push my faith on you. My suggestion, at the very least, is to practice mindfulness through journaling and meditation.
What is one thing you are going to start doing today to develop your spiritual health?
6. When needed, seek professional help!
From the onset of my symptoms, it took ten years before I accepted professional help for my mental health. Once I got help, it took ten more years before I finally got an accurate diagnosis. Once I had an accurate diagnosis, four years went by before I found the right treatment plan and healing continues to this day. All that to say, if you are struggling mentally, don’t hesitate to reach out to mental health professionals! Treatment plans can take several years to perfect, but once you are there, your life can be as different as night and day. You’ll find it easier to cope with work, relationships, and your relationship with yourself.
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If you are currently doing only a few of the things on this list, or maybe none at all, don’t let it overwhelm you! Start with one thing until it becomes routine, then add another. You will need to think through how you will make time for each one, but this shouldn’t be a stressful process because each of these things is meant to help reduce stress, not create more.
Finally, please know that I’m not a professional in the mental health or human resources fields. I think I did well in the amount of research I put into this article, but it is by no means exhaustive, so please do your own research as you put together a plan for your mental health. Or, if you are an employer interacting with flawed humans, please do your own research on how to foster a healthy work environment and how to respond to those in need of help for their mental health.
Bethany Marinelli is an author and speaker out of Orlando, Florida. She also supports her husband, Andrew, in his auto repair business and homeschools her son, Arthur.
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*https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity