The Mental Health Foundation (MHF) says anxiety is a “normal emotion we can all feel but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem”. Many things can lead to anxiety, such as stressful relationships, starting a new job, money worries and not being able to meet basic needs such as paying for heating or food – an ever-present concern for some people right now.
According to a recent mental health survey conducted by the MHF, during the current cost-of-living crisis, more than a third of adults said they feel anxious about their financial situation, and six in ten adults admitted to feeling so anxious that it “stopped them from doing the things they want to do some of the time”.
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems and can be caused by prolonged stress at work. A report by Deloitte estimates…
…the total annual cost of poor mental health to employers has increased by 25% since 2019, costing up to £56 billion a year!
Statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), covering the 2021/22 period, also show of the 1.8 million workers suffering from a work-related illness, 914,000 were stress, depression or anxiety, and these also account for over half of the 17 million working days lost each year.
MHF Resources and Advice for Individuals
As part of this week’s campaign, the MHF is publishing useful campaign awareness resources, as well as a range of suggestions and tips about what people can do to cope with feelings of anxiety.
For this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, the MHF has looked at the evidence for what works to manage anxiety and has put together its top recommendations, including:
- Focus on your breathing, when having anxious thoughts
- Get moving (exercise)
- Keep a diary and don’t ignore your worries
- Challenge your thoughts and stop them from overwhelming you
- Get support for money worries
- Spend time in nature
- Connect with people and talk about how you feel
- Try to get some quality sleep or rest, and
- Try to eat a healthy diet.
People are advised that if their feelings of anxiety are not going away, are having a negative impact on their life, or often prevent them from doing things they need or want to do, they should seek support and speak to their GP or healthcare professional about what help is available in the local area, or contact a helpline service.
Taking action to address specific causes of anxiety can also help, such as contacting a financial advisor, discussing workplace stress with your employer, or seeking support if you are experiencing bullying, harassment or discrimination.
Resources for Employers
Regardless of the size or type of business, the law requires all employers to prevent work-related stress in order to support good mental health in the workplace. Over and above this legal requirement, employers have a moral duty to look after the mental health of their staff, and, as evidenced by the statistics above, there is a huge financial penalty to pay if they fail in this duty.
Pearson Webb Consulting clients have access to a huge amount of resources on this topic, including; template policies, factsheets, training presentations, guidance on promoting awareness on mental health, mental health first aid, and handling the aftermath of traumatic incident. We can also provide support in developing policies (stress at work, mental health at work, and work-life balance for example), as well as supporting the completion of overarching stress risk assessments and/or individual risk assessments.
Other ‘publicly available’ resources that we also regularly signpost as useful for our clients, include those provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), including:
- Example Stress Policy
- Line Managers’ Resource for supporting people with mental health problems in the workplace
- HSE return to work template
Should you need further support or advice in embedding positive mental health management strategies in your workplace, or if you have any queries in relation to the above article, please feel free to Contact Us.
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