Tips for Good Mental Health in the Workplace

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and 2022’s message is “Together for Mental Health.” This campaign recognizes that caring for one’s mental health is as important as physical health. As an agency we strive to ensure our team members feel supported at work and have the necessary work/life balance to maintain good mental health. Here are a few ways that Beyond Fifteen prioritizes mental health:

1. Work as a team – It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by a task or project – and working remotely has added to team members feeling alone when work gets busy. At Beyond Fifteen, we not only tap into each team member’s strengths and support one another along the way but we prioritize connecting with each other to check in via in person events, video calls and Slack. Working together allows us to do our best job for our clients.
2. Take a lunch break – Your brain and body need a chance to recharge and stepping away from your desk at lunch can help give your body the rest it needs while you refuel. It’s not beneficial for your mental or physical health to scarf down food hunched over your keyboard, so we encourage our employees to unplug during their lunch break.
3. Get up – Sitting at your keyboard all day isn’t ideal. Whether it’s taking a walking call, using a standing desk or just getting up to move every 30 minutes, all teams should be encouraged to find solutions to stay active during their day.
4. Unplug – Working from home can easily blur the boundaries of work/life balance, since your office space may be in the middle of your personal space. We want our team to unplug at the end of the day so that they can bring their best selves to the table the next morning.
5. Strong relationships – When we say we’re a team—we mean it! We care about our employees and want them to come to us if they need support. We not only celebrate work wins, but also celebrate personal milestones including graduations, weddings, babies, races and more!
6. Take vacation – What’s the point of accruing vacation time if you don’t take it? The culture of working until you’re burned out needs to stop! We encourage our employees to take their vacation time. How else are we going to hear about their cool adventures if they don’t have the chance to take them?
7. Find support if needed – There’s no shame in asking for support; however, many people forgo mental assistance like therapy because they are worried about being away from their desks for those appointments. Your mental health is important. We encourage our employees to leverage the flexibility in their schedule to take care of themselves.

What are your tips for good mental health in the workplace? How are you going to honor Mental Health Month 2022 and embrace the “Together for Mental Health” theme?