Top tips for prioritizing mental health during the workday

In September this year, as a company, we took a step forward to supporting our team and removing the stigma of mental health in the workplace by using Spill, a mental health service. For World Mental Health Day, we're sharing a therapist from Spill's top tips for prioritizing mental health in the workplace. A healthy work/life balance is essential for good mental health - where we mentally switch off from work at the end of the day as well as physically. So let's get into it.

1. Take a look at your week through a fresh pair of eyes, and organize things so that they work in a way that is best for you. For example, allocate certain tasks to your most productive time of day and do easier tasks when you are least productive.
2. Have a clear start and finish time for work and some way of switching mentally. For example, opening your laptop at the start of the day and closing it at the end of the day helps create a boundary between work time and personal time. If you get work thoughts popping into your head after you have finished, simply write them down in a notepad so they can be dealt with when you are working next.
3. Using a timer is a good idea when working from home. The idea is to set a timer for 20 minutes and then have a five-minute break when you can look at your phone or get a drink, etc., then repeat. This can make you work more productively and increase focus.
4. Use a calendar and stick to it, so plan your day with the tasks that need to be completed – the most urgent first. Breaking things down into shorter time frames or smaller tasks can make things more manageable, for example, looking at your emails for 30 minutes in the morning and thirty minutes before you finish or writing one part of a report in the morning and the second part the afternoon or the next morning, etc.
5. Ensure you take regular breaks, especially if you are working on screens. A five-minute break every hour where you have a walk around can actually make you more productive, as sitting for long periods inhibits the supply of oxygen to the brain. Can you organize breaks so that they work for you? A half-hour walk at lunchtime is a really good idea.
6. Drink plenty of water – around 8 glasses a day is recommended, be careful not to drink too much water as it can leave you feeling drained. Ensure you get your five fruit and veg a day, and opt for healthy snacks rather than quick sugar fixes that come from chocolate bars or fizzy drinks. Avoid too much caffeine, as this can impact sleep. More information about sleep hygiene can be found here:?https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene
7. Ensure that you are not trying to live up to unrealistic expectations, either from yourself or someone else. It is always better to meet a deadline early than to be under constant pressure because you have not given yourself enough time. If you are new at your job, you may need additional time to learn and understand new processes - be kind to yourself.
8. Make sure that if you are in a team, you play to each person’s individual strengths. It’s no good giving a spreadsheet task to someone who struggles with IT, causing them stress, when there may be someone on your team who would enjoy the task and could knock it out in 10 minutes.
9. Have regular meetings with colleagues to troubleshoot, brainstorm and discuss best practices. Talking challenges out or sharing positive solutions can help improve your overall working experience and help with work-related stress.
10. Pick the phone up and speak to a person rather than having endless email exchanges. Often talking things out can be quicker and easier than going back and forth, trying to interpret each other. You can always confirm what you have discussed in an email if you need to.
11. Always make yourself and others accountable. Set/ask for a realistic deadline and troubleshoot if deadlines are not met so you can change future deadlines or address challenges that arose.
12. Ensure that you are adequately trained and have enough support and resources to be able to perform the role well. Your employer should provide you with everything you need to be able to do your job well. That includes training, emotional and practical support, and the right resources.
13. Breaking things down into smaller, more manageable tasks is a good way to ensure that you get everything done and reduces the chance of feeling overwhelmed. For example, I am going to spend half an hour a day on a project. Or, today, I am going to write a list of things that need to be done for that project broken down into smaller tasks (put the list in order of priority). If you do a little every day, you keep the momentum going, rather than when you work on things sporadically, where you have to take time to remind yourself where you are at.

Finally, remember that if you make your work/life balance sustainable, you will avoid burnout. You may think that you are superhuman, but no one really is. We may be able to keep things up for a long time, but eventually, we will burn out, and this might mean that we are out of action for a while. Stress doesn't just show in our mental health, it affects our physical health too. When you are working tired or unhappy, you are not performing to the best ability, and tiredness also inhibits creativity. Working smarter can save so much time, but we have to invest initial planning time and review this regularly. And, if you are struggling, check in with colleagues or a therapist (if this is accessible to you) - they can help.