Spread Mental Health Awareness with these 6 Activities in the Workplace
The importance of investing in the mental health of your employees is more prevalent than ever before. According to a 2021 study conducted by Harvard Business Review, more employees are leaving their jobs for mental health reasons, including those caused by workplace factors like overwhelming and unsustainable work. 91% percent of respondents believe that a company’s culture should support mental health.
The reality is that the majority of your employees will experience or be affected by a mental health challenge at some point in their lives. Prioritizing mental health in the workplace and showing you care:
- Fosters psychological safety at work
- Builds employee morale
- Increases employee retention rates
- Boosts employee happiness and productivity
- Creates a culture of compassion, shared experience, and unity
Promoting positive mental health in your workplace will show your employees that you care for their wellbeing. Don’t just talk the talk – walk the walk! It’s time to create meaningful experiences and help employees feel known, valued, and connected to their workplace.
Host a live training on mental health.
Let’s be honest, everyone can benefit from tips on work-related anxiety, boundaries, self-care, and stress management. Give your employees a practical toolkit on how to deal with stress, burnout, and more.
Bringing in a therapist or mental health related speaker to talk to your team about stress management is a great way to show your team you care about their wellbeing. Make it fun and valuable, and be sure not to make it just another meeting on their calendar.
Give back as a team.
We all want to work with passion and purpose to make the world better. Giving back as a company is not only good for your team’s individual mental health, but it also creates a positive work culture and provides a sense of deeper purpose.
Greater Calling connects your business to a global cause you care about. Specifically, we custom-match your business to partner with an impoverished community overseas. Through this partnership, the community overseas experiences transformational development while your business is able to engage your employees in meaning beyond their everyday work. We provide all the strategic tools you need and walk you through every step of your partnership.
We have over 25 years of experience alleviating poverty in impoverished communities and are currently working in Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Russia, and Uganda.
How giving back impacts your company:
- Brings added purpose to the work you’re doing
- Creates a culture of compassion, shared experience, and generosity
- Increases employee engagement
Do you want to promote positive mental health while also using your business to make the world a better place? Partner with us today.
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Read a book together.
Reading a book as a team is a great opportunity to learn together. Not to mention, reading is actually really good for your mental health. Not only will your employees be learning tools to manage their mental health better, but the physical act of reading will even reduce stress and improve sleep, focus, memory, empathy, and communication skills.
Cast a vote on a book to read and facilitate biweekly book club gatherings. Consider breakout sessions where employees can share what they are learning and open up if they need to.
Here are some book options:
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
“With startling wisdom and humor, Gottlieb invites us into her world as both clinician and patient, examining the truths and fictions we tell ourselves and others as we teeter on the tightrope between love and desire, meaning and mortality, guilt and redemption, terror and courage, hope and change.”
Get Out of Your Own Way by Mark Goulston, M.D. and Philip Goldberg
“Practical, proven self help steps show how to transform 40 common self-defeating behaviors, including procrastination, envy, obsession, anger, self-pity, compulsion, neediness, guilt, rebellion, inaction, and more.”
Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present by Nick Trenton
“Nick Trenton provides detailed and proven techniques to help you rewire your brain, control your thoughts, and change your mental habits. What’s more, the book will provide you with scientific approaches to completely change the way you think and feel about yourself by ending the vicious thought patterns.”
Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking by Dr. Caroline Leaf
“Dr. Caroline Leaf provides a scientifically proven five-step plan to find and eliminate the root of anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts in your life so you can experience dramatically improved mental and physical health.”
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero
“Scazzero provides seven biblical, reality-tested steps to become emotionally mature including:
- Become your authentic self.
- Break the power of the past.
- Let go of power and control.
- Surrender to your limits.
- Stop to breathe by practicing rest and Sabbath.
- Learn new skills to love well.
- Love Christ above all else.”
Exercise together.
Exercising as a team is one of the best ways to promote positive mental health because it kills many birds with one stone! Not only does it promote physical and mental health, but it also presents an opportunity for your team to socialize, build connections, and spend time outdoors which can boost your mood and clear your mind. If your workplace is in person, take a walk or hike together one Friday afternoon and bring a picnic!
If you’re a virtual team, have some fun by challenging your colleagues to a ‘Step Challenge’. Virtual teams can use platforms such as WalkerTracker to see who can get the most steps in a certain month! Consider awarding the winner with a fitness-related prize such as a set of new running shoes.
Do a wellness gift exchange
A great way to spotlight mental health at work is through gift-giving. One way to implement this is to have team members do a wellness-themed gift exchange! Gift exchanges are most popular during the holiday season, but did you know the act of gift-giving can offer psychological benefits all year long? Giving a gift is a universal way to show interest, appreciation, and gratitude, as well as strengthen bonds with others. However, make sure you set a reasonable price limit to eliminate added stress.
Wellness gifts could include:
- Watercolor painting set
- Gratitude journal
- Adult coloring book with colored pencils
- Stress balls
- Self-help book or bookstore gift card
- Bath salts or scented candle
Do a team-building activity
Try an in-person or virtual team-building activity, such as a craft night! Crafting is a great way to relieve stress. You can find local experts to lead the class, or you can ask team members if they have a hobby and would be willing to teach the class. By the end of the night, teammates have learned a new skill that can help relieve stress!
Consider these wellness-themed crafts ideas:
- Painting
- Pottery
- Candle making
- Soap making
- Bath bomb making
Other fun team building activities include escape rooms, ax throwing, trivia nights, or any other activity where you can build connections, laugh, and take your mind off of work stressors.
Promoting positive mental health in your workplace is a great way to create an environment where your employees thrive. Spotlighting mental health is essential for individual team members and the company! You may scale these activities to your company’s needs and capabilities. No matter how these activities turn out, the most important thing is that you’re taking the initiative to invest in your team’s health.
Written in partnership with Reach The Lost.
