Mental Health and wellbeing and 2021.

In the last one year a lot of talk has happened about the benefits and perils of “WFH” (Work from Home). While some have been happy about it, some want to get back to working from the office.

There has been a rise in the mental health issues around the world. Suicide rates have increased.

50% of couples have said they have had more arguments than ever before.

It’s not just about the changed work culture. It’s also about the “demands” that this change has brought in with it.

People have not just struggled with the loneliness but also with space constraints, chores and responsibilities, unorganised schedule changes that have resulted due to the circumstances in and around the house.

We have seen a lot of initiatives being undertaken to address these issues. Organisations have established new programs and initiatives, governments have created departments to manage this growing concern and crisis.

But somewhere there is again a pattern that is followed to address this growing problem. A pattern which is based on a "Reactive" mode of operation and not a "Proactive" approach

The current situation reminds me of what I had seen happening in L&D, where the development programs and initiatives were created based on the occurrence of the problem and it’s impact on performance. Training and development initiatives were undertaken to enhance performance and improve effectiveness. However, the understanding of the root cause of problems has somehow always evaded to be addressed in these initiatives. The intent for an individual to apply the learning is based on the an awareness of the questions that they need an answer to.

The need has to be felt because the change has to be desired.

The solutions are crafted based on the impact which is seen. The problem is categorised as a universal issue. When in reality, everyone has their own perception of the problem. So if we don't indulge to understand the behaviour of the problem, the solutions will only offer half baked results.

The response to the global epidemic of mental health issues is commendable however it is lacking in it’s understanding of what “solutions” are actually needed.

Before we create the policies, the primary task today is to understand the “diversity” of the problems and along with it the “diversity” of it’s impact.

Damage control will only help us somehow manage and move ahead. To cure this issue, an approach of “empathetic listening and understanding” is needed. 

Presupposing the reasons for the problems and the probable solutions will only lead this issue to actually turn into an epidemic at a rate faster than we have ever imagined.

To render the efforts to curb this problem, an approach which is based on:

1. Understanding the behavioural attributes of people.
2. Empathetic listening.
3. Emotional resilience identification.
4. Building Mental strength.

We have to remember that it is important to empower “them” with their own strength as any external help will only be an incomplete approach and looking at the numbers we have, it is a mammoth task that needs to be completed in the least possible time.