World Mental Health Day 2024: Harnessing Your Strengths for Better Mental Well-being

Yesterday, October 10th, marked World Mental Health Day 2024, with this year's theme focusing on prioritising mental health in the workplace. As we take some time to reflect on the importance of mental well-being, it's crucial to explore tools that can empower us to thrive both personally and professionally. One such powerful tool is Strengthscope? , which offers invaluable insights into our unique strengths and how they can positively impact our mental health, day-to-day in our work and personal lives.

The Impact of Mental Health in UK Workplaces

The significance of mental health in the workplace cannot be overstated, particularly here in the UK:

- Mental health problems cost the UK economy at least ￡117.9 billion annually, equivalent to around 5% of the UK's GDP.

- In the 2022-23 financial year, 17.1 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in the UK.

- More than 875,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new or long-standing) in the same period.

- The annual cost of workers suffering from stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain was estimated at ￡10.58 billion in the 2021-22 financial year.

These staggering figures underscore the urgent need for effective mental health strategies in UK workplaces.

Understanding Strengthscope and the Pathway from Limitation to Possibility

Strengthscope is a comprehensive assessment that identifies 24 work-based strengths, categorized into four distinct clusters:

1. Emotional: How we manage and express emotions

2. Relational: How we establish and maintain productive relationships

3. Thinking: How we apply our intellect and gather information

4. Execution: How we deliver results

One of the key aspects of Strengthscope that I love, and that it focuses on is moving from a pathway of limitation to a pathway of possibility. This shift in perspective can be transformative for mental health:

- Pathway of Limitation: Focuses on weaknesses, constraints, and what's not possible.

- Pathway of Possibility: Emphasises strengths, opportunities, and what can be achieved.

As Maya Angelou once said, "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."

This quote encapsulates the essence of moving from limitation to possibility.

The Power of Knowing Your Strengths

By understanding your unique strengths profile, wheel you can:

1. Boost Self-Awareness: Gaining insight into your unique 7 strengths, as well as your "bubbling under" strengths and potential drainers, provides a clearer picture of what energises and motivates you.

2. Enhance Emotional Intelligence: The Emotional and Relational clusters in Strengthscope often correlate with higher levels of emotional intelligence, both in terms of self-awareness and interpersonal skills.

3. Find Purpose: Aligning your strengths with your values can lead to a greater sense of purpose, significantly improving your overall well-being.

4. Manage Stress: Recognising when your strengths go into "overdrive" under pressure allows you to develop better self-control in challenging situations.

5. Improve Work Performance: Leveraging your strengths and those around you, can lead to increased job satisfaction, reduced stress, and improved overall happiness in the workplace.

As Aristotle wisely noted, "Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your vocation."

This intersection of strengths and purpose is at the heart of the Strengthscope approach.

The Impact of Strength-Based Approaches on Mental Health

Research has shown that strength-based approaches can have significant positive effects on mental health and workplace productivity:

- A review of workplace interventions found savings of ￡5 for every ￡1 invested in supporting mental health.

- Strength-based therapy has been shown to reduce drug use, lower rates of arrest and conviction, and improve overall mental health outcomes.

- Workplaces that promote good mental health and support individuals with mental illnesses are more likely to reduce absenteeism and presenteeism, thus increasing worker productivity.

Practical Applications for Mental Health

1. Stress Management: Use your strength of Decisiveness to make quick choices when feeling overwhelmed, or tap into your Enthusiasm to maintain a positive outlook during challenging times.

2. Building Resilience: Leverage strengths like Optimism or Self-improvement to bounce back from setbacks more effectively.

3. Enhancing Relationships: Utilise Relational strengths such as Empathy or Collaboration to build stronger connections with colleagues, reducing feelings of isolation.

4. Finding Flow: Engage in tasks that align with your top strengths to experience more frequent states of flow, boosting your overall sense of fulfilment.

5. Career Development: Use your strengths profile to guide career decisions, ensuring you're in a role that energises rather than drains you.

As John Green reminds us, "There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn't."

so by focusing on our strengths and possibilities, we can cultivate this hope and resilience.

But by understanding and applying your unique strengths, you can create a more positive, supportive work environment that fosters mental well-being. This approach also aligns with the UK government's initiatives to improve workplace mental health, such as the implementation of Mental Health First Aiders and Mental Health Ambassadors in some departments.

This World Mental Health Day takes a step towards better mental health by exploring how your strengths can work for you.

As Rupi Kaur beautifully expressed, "If you were born with the weakness to fall, you were born with the strength to rise."

By harnessing the power of our strengths, we can create healthier, more fulfilling work environments and contribute to reducing the significant economic and personal costs of poor mental health in UK workplaces.

Are you Interested in discovering your strengths and improving your mental well-being? Then what are you waiting for reach out to me at [email protected] to explore how Strengthscope can transform your approach to work and life. Remember, as Lisa Olivera said,

"Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn't mean you can, should, or need to do it alone."