Mental Wellness at Work

If I were to ask you, "Who are you?" - what would you respond? This is the question I asked attendees at TFest this past week during my Circle Talk. The answers ranged from travel advisor to father to woman. But these are just titles. Who are you without these? The real being inside that is waiting for you in those quiet moments.

Before I experienced depression, I didn't want to have any of those quiet moments. It was way too scary to have time alone with the core of who I am. At the time, I was so disconnected from her that I probably wouldn't recognize my authentic self. Back then slowing down was not an option until that choice was taken away from me. This is what happens when we ignore our mental wellness.

Mental Health or Mental Wellness?

Whether holding a mental health diagnosis or not, we still have a responsibility to our mental wellness. Do you know the difference? The Mental Wellness Initiative of the Global Wellness Institute defines the difference between the two; how you can be thriving in your mental health and still be languishing in your mental wellness. No diagnosis needed. This is something I learned the hard way, years before the study came out.

Why is this such a struggle? My career in travel and hospitality encouraged me to put a smile on my face and take care of others. In truth, I came to the industry with that lesson deeply in place. My perma-smile was simply celebrated in this space and it thrilled me to make a living being myself… or who I thought I was. Don't get me wrong - I still smile ear-to-ear. It's just that now I can feel the impact of my smile. It's for me, not a mask hiding what I don't want to look at or what I'm worried others will see.

What Happens When We Stay the Same

I had an interesting conversation with senior leaders in travel recently who shared that the younger generation uses mental wellness as an excuse not to work hard. While I can't speak for the individuals involved, it's fair to say that could very well be happening. But if we lean into those circumstances, it gives us an excuse to stay the same. While one team member is trying to play hooky, the other has so much anxiety that sending an email takes all their energy. Who exactly are we serving by not prioritizing mental wellness?

Some company cultures celebrate using?vacation time, taking sick days, and honoring mental wellness. Those sound fantastic. For the rest of the working world, we have room to grow.

Bringing Wellness to Work

Wellness travel will teach you the importance of breathwork. This is an easy thing to implement in your day-to-day and in your company. Why not start a meeting with three deep, cleansing breaths? Encourage "peace of mind" breaks throughout the day where each person can do what soothes them. Having options available to choose from shows your organization's commitment to each individual's happiness.

At T-Fest this past week where they encourage doing business differently, attendees were given activity options between meetings. They could choose to listen to inspirational talks (like mine), learn new trends, or attend wellness sessions. Why not build your own T-Fest for your team?

"Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care."

Theodore Roosevelt

In one of my past lives, I organized events so I understand costs and logistics. If your company doesn't have the budget, find a consistent source of support. While I love a good special event, that one day of care will not change mental wellness past the day or maybe the week. That's like having one hug per year. We need more to thrive.

Consistent Care Ideas

To get you started, here are a few recommendations to create a culture of practicing mental wellness:

• Designate a device-free, quiet room set up with comfortable furniture, oversized pillows, and soft lighting. Ask team members to bring in books they would like to contribute to the library of inner peace.
• Hire motivational speakers every month to inspire the team.
• Have a five-minute silent disco a few days a week. Create a recommended playlist on a shared drive that everyone can contribute to.
• Bring in a coach to support individuals' personal development, high performance, and mental wellness. Make this a weekly or twice a month benefit.
• Instead of planning team happy hours, dinners, or bowling, try touchless wellness to relieve stress like NuCalm, meditation pods like The Somadome, or give a little power nap with Spa Wave.

If you haven't already done so, ask at least one person how they're feeling today. Remember "busy" is not a feeling. Stay to listen to the answer. One of my personal favorites is asking someone what is bringing them joy today? Then ask someone different tomorrow and the next day. Make sure to ask yourself these same questions. Remember that you are valuable for WHO YOU ARE and what you do.

What are your ideas for supporting mental wellness at work? If you need more support, I'm here to help.