Fostering and maintaining a positive mental health in the workplace delivers benefits to all concerned— employees, employers, and even customers. Mental health in this case connotes an emotional resilience which enables workers, and people as a whole, to cope with the challenges in the workplace and enjoy life in totality.

Based on statistics, as much as 70% of the American population is unhappy with their work. In fact, some reports stated that 18% of these unhappy individuals are unsatisfied with their current job position and are even harming his or her workplace’s success. It has also been reported that an unhealthy or unhappy workplace is not good both for the employees and for the business itself.[1]

Ways That a Worker Can Foster Good Mental Health at Work

Commonly, most of the resources on fostering a good mental health in the workplace environment place the responsibility on managers and supervisors. However, this should not always be the case. If workers are more proactive in fostering a good mental health, then the workplace environment will be a better place. Of course, this is more effective if both the top management and employees act on it together. So, here are several ways that an individual can foster a good mental health at work:[2]

• Look After Your Mental Health – like most good things, it must first come from within. Taking care of yourself is the key to having a good mental health. Caring for yourself is easy and quite straightforward like: having fun, taking the time to relax, good sleeping patterns, understanding stress and your response to it, regular exercise, a healthy diet, embracing change, positive thinking, and managing time wisely.
• Be Respectful to Fellow Employees – This is just another form of the wise old adage: ‘do NOT do unto others what you don’t want them to do unto you.’ So, if you treat your co-workers with respect, kindness, non-judgmentally, understanding, and properly; then you will be treated likewise. So, if everybody in the workplace engages in this kind of positive attitude, it will become a happy place to work in.

• Take Action on Interpersonal Problems – conflict in the workplace is as common as change. However, people do not create conflict intentionally. It can be a result of your frustration, stress, or you may be unaware of how your behavior contributed to the conflict or you can even be focusing too much on your own need at the expense of others. The best way to deal with this is to take the time out and evaluate the situation. Sometimes, communicating while you are levelheaded is key in solving these interpersonal problems.

• Other Ways – if you are experiencing mental health concerns, take action and seek help. You can also make use of workplace supports like the HR division.

So, as you can see the responsibility in creating a psychologically safe workplace does not only lie solely on the shoulders of top management. Individual employees must also do their share of work in order to achieve a better workplace environment conducive to a good mental health.

[1] Sourced from: Mental Health America

[2] Sourced from: Civil Service Employee Assistance Service