Helping To Improve Mental Fitness

The importance of taking time out to talk about mental health issues was paramount even before the Covid 19 crisis. Right now, in lockdown and during this Mental Health Awareness Week, it is crucial to think about our well-being and that of our colleagues from both a work and home perspective.

At Optix Solutions we’ve always placed emphasis on the wellbeing of our people. We’ve seen that during the current crisis, even the most free-spirited and laissez-faire of individuals have struggled with the lack of certainty that the situation has brought. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all need a degree of routine in our lives. Mentally it helps keep us on the straight and narrow.

With this in mind, I thought I would share some of the actions and processes that we at Optix have implemented in order to try and minimise the effects the lockdown may be having on the mental health of our colleagues. We’re not claiming to be experts in the subject but having given it due consideration over a number of years, it may be that you or your organisation could benefit too.

Fixed Routine

When the lockdown began we immediately put in place a company-wide routine for our staff. We mapped out what a week would look like for everyone and kept to standard meeting times. We felt it was important that we offer regular guidance on what is expected from everybody, and when. Lack of routine and fear of the unknown can induce anxiety and we hope this will help to mitigate that.  

We also introduced regular well-being times for all staff at a frequency of their choosing - twice weekly, weekly, every two weeks or once a month - whichever they prefer. This time offers them a chance to talk in confidence about anything they like be it work, personal or maybe both.

The Right Tools for the Job

One of the pitfalls of working at home is that, for the majority of us, we are not set up for it – or at least not set up in a dedicated way like our office workstations are. Most of us find it easy enough to improvise using the dining room or kitchen table but at some point, especially in times like these, that lack of space, wobbly table or non-functioning mouse will start to add to your stress levels. It’s vital that people have the right tools for the job to keep stress levels to a minimum. We’ve asked everyone to make sure that they make us aware if there are any persistent niggles with equipment that can be fixed to make the working environment a lot less stressful at a time when our emotional energy is more highly charged than usual.

Contact and Communicate

We have introduced a policy of over contact and over communication. At present it is more important than ever that the message and the desired intentions from any contact are clear. If any doubt exists, then be sure to contact and communicate over again. We have also highlighted the importance of receiving communication with kindness. Start with the assumption that any contact received was intended for the right reasons no matter how it is perceived. As previously stated, it’s easy right now to find yourself in a charged or emotive state so take a break and be sure to reply in a positive and pro-active manner. Sometimes the simplest of acts or behavioural changes can be extremely uplifting and very liberating for us.

From a Personal Perspective

I have outlined here some of the fairly simple measures that we have introduced at Optix from a work viewpoint. From my own personal perspective, I believe adequate hydration is critical to my physical and mental well-being. I spent many years working in call centres and was regularly troubled by sore throats, bugs and cold-like symptoms. Somebody advised me to drink at least four pints of water a day and it turned out to be a real gamechanger. Not only did I feel much better physically and free of snivels and snuffles but it imparted a real boost to my mental energy. It now forms a part of my daily regimen.

I’m also a big believer in regular sleep patterns so I go to bed and get up at the same time every day even at weekends and I am always sure to take my daily exercise without my phone in tow to give me a proper break.

I stress again I am not an expert on the subject of mental health and urge anyone who is struggling right now, or has colleagues that are, to seek the appropriate expert help sooner rather than later. But I hope that by sharing my thoughts in this Mental Health Awareness Week, I might just be able to raise awareness of the importance of being across mental health issues and to impart some of the ideas that have helped us as an organisation to cope.