Protecting your mental health; a guide for leaders and line managers

• Who do you go to if you are struggling at work? Can you talk to your manager or are you the ‘boss’? Do you make use of peer support in and out (e.g. external coaches) of your organisation? If you haven’t got these systems in place, it would be worth addressing this.
  
  
• Who monitors your workload? It is important to ensure that you can ask for help and support when you need it.
  
  
• Are you feeling out of your depth, especially if you are new to management or haven’t had enough training? What extra training, support or mentoring do you need? Where can you get this?
  
  
• Do you make use of the support systems and wellbeing initiatives you might recommend to your team?

• It is important to consider the impact a 24/7 connected culture can have on our mental health and the importance of having screen-free time at work and at home.
  
  
• Emails can be especially onerous. Make use of tools such as out of office and signature messages to help manage the flow and make you feel that you in control of your emails. Rather them being in control of you.
  
  
• Do you need to respond at once? Some people allocate one time in the day to read and respond to emails.

• Taking regular breaks (during the day, in the evening, at weekends and annual leave) is essential for maintaining our mental wellbeing. It also makes us work more effectively. Working flat out when we are tired can be counter-productive. Breaks are not a luxury.
  
  
• Going for a quick walk during breaks can help recharge your batteries.
  
  
• Make sure you maintain proper boundaries between your work and home life so you can switch off in the evenings, at weekends and when you are on annual leave.
  
  
• Notice when you start neglecting to do this and take steps to address it. Feeling you are too busy to take a break, is probably a sure sign that you really need one.
  
  
• Challenge presenteeism (where you continue to work when you are not well enough physically or mentally) and leaveism (where you work whilst on holiday) in yourself and others. If this is part of the culture, work with others to change it. It is not helpful for you or anyone else and paradoxically ends up costing more than taking time off work when you are unwell.

Practising self-compassion is an effective way to manage when things go wrong or when you are finding life hard. Being kind to yourself, instead of beating yourself up, enables you to calm down. You can then manage your emotions and difficult situations more effectively.

Advances in neuroscience means we are starting to understand the importance of sleep. Sleep is not a passive activity.

During sleep, your brain is working hard repairing and rebuilding. Lack of sleep compromises your immune system. This makes you more prone to developing physical and mental health problems. It also makes you more impulsive and less able to make good decisions.

Getting enough sleep helps you function better all round. Often creative solutions to difficult problems will come after a good nights’ sleep. We all know how horrible we feel if we do not get enough sleep.

What we eat may affect how we feel – for example, caffeine and sugar can have an immediate effect. But food can also have a long-lasting effect on your mental health. Your brain needs a mix of nutrients in order to stay healthy and function well, just like the other organs in your body. A diet that’s good for your physical health is also good for your mental health. Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grains cereals etc. Drink plenty of water.

It is important to eat well at work. Do not skip meals and then snack on high sugar, high fat foods. Take a proper lunch break – away from your desk.

Limit how many high caffeine, sugary drinks or how much alcohol you have.

• Incorporate the 5 ways to wellbeing into your life
• Complete a wellbeing action plan
• Stay in wellbeing CREDIT
• And PAUSE
• Ask for help if you are struggling

If you are starting to struggle
Talk to someone. This might be your line-manager, a mental health first aider or Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) if you have them in your workplace. It is also a good idea to see your GP.