The Algorithm For Mental Health

When discussing mental health, many of us often fail to understand that it is not static. Much like the weather, our mental health can change at any time based on emotions that influence mood and a person’s outlook on the world. Mental health is personal, meaning that two people in the same situation can have two very different outlooks on what is happening. Each day, the average person has tens of thousands of thoughts, many of which are automatic; they just pop into their head. When these thoughts are negative, and especially when a person believes these thoughts to be true, they can influence an individual's thinking, emotions, and behaviours.

Mental fitness is a preventive approach for a person to prepare themselves to manage both the good and challenging times. One constant for all employees is there will be personal and professional stress; there is no escaping this reality. How well they manage themselves under stress matters.

The Three Ways In Which Employees Cope With Mental Stressors

• Prosocial coping skills — doing healthy and helpful things under pressure. These behaviours can also be done for prevention and building resiliency in preparation for challenging times.
• At-risk coping skills — engaging in feel-good activities to influence unwanted emotions and to feel better. For example, many eat to feel better when they feel stress.
• Help-seeking behaviour — asking for help and knowing where to get it.

Knowing the algorithm for mental health can position employees and employers to support employees to engage in prosocial coping skills and employers to be clear on how they can support employees and remove emotional drains.

In article #1 of the series ‘COVID Collateral Damage: Why Mental fitness matters now more than ever,’ I discussed the concept of prevention versus support, and explored what employers might do to impact employees’ mental health. The goal was to introduce the concept of mental fitness and to get the reader thinking about the algorithm for mental health.

Before introducing this algorithm, pause and think about the algorithm for physical health. We know that if we engage in exercise and a healthy diet, get enough sleep, and pay attention to lifestyle choices we can positively impact our physical health. It is important to anchor this point. You cannot get physically healthy by thinking about it; you must do something and actions must be taken. Mental health is no different. But employers can play an important role in helping employees build their resiliency and supporting their mental health.

Employers are slowly learning that promoting and supporting mental health is not therapy or getting into their employees’ personal lives. It is simply providing them the knowledge, skills, and opportunity to positively impact their mental health and to reduce mental harms. That is not only good for the employer’s results but also employees’ quality of life and workplace experience.

In my book ‘Stop Hiding and Start Living’, I define mental health as consisting of four main pillars:

• Physical health — exercise, diet, sleep, and lifestyle choices
• Mental fitness — prosocial coping skills that are healthy and charge one’s battery. There are literally hundreds of micro skills and activities a person can engage in that are good for their health. Spending time with my English bulldog (i.e., pet therapy) is one of my best activities.
• Social connections — People need people to be fulfilled. Having safe and meaningful connections in the workplace can make an employee feel included and welcomed. They can also be a resource and advocate.
• Environmental supports — what employers can do to support employees and society. Maximizing mental health requires employees to have access to psychological health and medical resources, stable employment, and financial health. Employers can commit to creating a psychologically safe workplace, having psychologically safe leaders, and providing programs and opportunities for employees to get access to mental health prevention and support programs.

EVALUATING YOUR MENTAL FITNESS INITIATIVES

Far too many employers do not have a mental fitness strategy in place. If they did, they might find out that their employees would have been better able to manage the wear and tear of COVID as well as the demands of life at home and work. Getting on an exercise bike one sole time seldom does anything for physical health. Neither does taking one resiliency course teach employees what they can do for their mental health.

Random acts of wellness like walking challenges, a three-hour course, a wellness app, or a structured program may appear to be helpful but seldom have an impact because expectations are not aligned with how humans learn and grow.

To be physically healthy, a person needs to adopt a lifestyle focused on actions they can control. Mental fitness is no different; it requires a strategy and a plan to adopt it into one’s daily life. There is no magic solution or shortcuts.

What kinds of prevention programs do you have in place to support employees day -to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, and year-to-year? Similar to our physical health, there is no endpoint where a person can say they have graduated and there is nothing more to be done for mental fitness. Not understanding the business case for a mental fitness strategy can stop some employers.

Upcoming Events & News:

Crisis Ready Early Bird Tickets Are Now Available!

My online course and four-part series ‘Crisis Ready’ kicks off February 24, 2025. With content and skill sessions focused on workplace crisis prevention, and employee support, this course is ideal for HR professionals, C-suite leaders, managers, union reps, and mental health advocates looking to learn, understand crisis prevention and develop unique skills around crisis management.

Early bird tickets available now for limited time @ www.CrisisReady.com