How to Help a Colleague with their Mental Health

Conversations around mental health are becoming common place in all parts of our lives.

In the workplace, it’s important to think about not only ourselves but those around us.

Owen Harris tells us how we can all help our colleagues with their mental health:

“It’s been a really tough year and a half for everyone.

Some people have developed mental health problems due to the effect of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some it has worsened existing issues, becoming worse each day.

However there are a few things that I would suggest we all do to escape the pressures of the working environment.

My first suggestion is going to the gym and exercise in general.

Whatever kind of fitness it is like yoga, weight-lifting, athletics, whatever you enjoy and have a passion for, try to do those physical activities out of hours.

In the InfraView office, everyone gets involved. We go to the gym as a group and we all train together which we all feel is a really positive experience for both our physical and mental health.

The most important thing is finding an activity which suits you.

Some people like to read, some like to play games, some like to learn new skills.

If you find something that you get excited about and can enjoy that passion, you will see a huge improvement in your outlook day-to-day and keeps your brain engaged in grounded activities.

It’s also really important to check up on your colleagues.

Building relationships internally and picking up on signals from them that something may be troubling them in or out of the office will help everyone to come together and build a better and more open environment.

If they’re quieter in a meeting than usual, maybe just ask them if they’re feeling okay as you noticed they seemed a little down.

It’s the little things that can make a big difference both in your life and the lives of people around you.”