October 10, 2022
Mental health in the workplace is an essential topic to cover.
We know how important looking after our mental health is, but this can sometimes be difficult in a working environment.
At IF, we are a fast-paced agency, which can often mean that we forget to prioritise our mental health whilst working through the ins and outs of agency life. For this reason, we have structures in place and employee initiatives to encourage our colleagues to stay mindful of their mental health and ensure they don’t take on too much at once.
In line with this year’s World Mental Health Day theme ‘Make mental health and well-being for all a global priority’ we’re sharing our tips and tricks on what works best in our agency to manage mental health and stress.
How do we manage work stress?
As advised by Mind, stress can cause mental health problems, and mental health problems can lead to more stress. In a fast-paced working environment where tight deadlines and quick turnarounds are frequent, it’s no surprise that they can sometimes be followed by stress.
However, there are steps you can take to manage stress at work. Here are our top tips:
- Get some fresh air and have a stretch – sitting down for long periods of time isn’t good for anyone.
- Take a break! Text a friend, make yourself a snack or a hot drink, ask Alexa to play your favourite music or even watch a live stream of bears in the wild 🐻 (a favourite of our B2B Account Manager, Amber).
- Create work-life boundaries that align with your values.
- If you feel like your workload is getting on top of you, speak to another team member and/or a manager who will be able to help you divide and conquer.
- Keep an open line of communication with your manager about how you’re feeling.
- Try to stay on top of good lifestyle habits at home e.g. getting a good night’s sleep, keeping yourself active, and drinking enough water.
- If your company has mental health days in place, make sure to use them when you need them!
Everyone deals with stress and mental health differently, and for that it is important we learn how to give space to all around us.
Don’t be afraid to communicate with your colleagues when you are overwhelmed or need help – no one wants to see you struggle. If you don’t ask for help, your colleagues may not realise that you need it.
Lastly, if you are working in a social media agency like us or work in marketing, remember… we are not saving lives! Whatever it is you need to finish, it can probably wait for 5 minutes, so get up from your desk and have a break!
You can find out more about World Mental Health Day here