Page 30 - Silver Lakes January Issue 2023

LIFESTYLE

MENTAL HEALTH PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE

IN THE WORKPLACE

hanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, as mindfulness as this helps create presence of your reactions and will signal when you
mental health has been front and within oneself and increases your ability to should pay closer attention to your mental
Tcentre of the workplace refocus become more self-aware. One tool Visser health and wellness.
of late, and rightly so. More than 30% learnt years ago was the STOP skill, developed
of adult South Africans suffer from some by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Essentially, it’s an acronym 3. Focus on one thing at a time
sort of mental health issue, affecting that stands for Stop, Take a breath, Observe A key value that the Agile way of working
their ability to think clearly and process and then Proceed. teaches is to focus on one thing at a time.
their thoughts logically. This, in turn, can We are constantly distracted by others
negatively affect their outward behaviour Even if it’s just by getting up from your desk to and the environment as well as our own
and decision-making, which is especially make a cup of coffee, by pausing momentarily, thought processes. Even the smallest of
important in the workplace. you allow yourself to take a breath, which distractions like receiving a text, email
acts as an anchor to the present moment. or meeting request, and even the mere
Mariet Visser, coach, trainer and the During this short respite, you can see what thought of multitasking, can negatively
co-founder of We Do Change, is on a is happening both inside and outside of you, play on our mental health, creating what
mission to empower individuals and and assess what you are doing and how you is often referred to as scattered brain
businesspeople to take control of their are feeling. Use the information gained during syndrome or attention deficit disorder.
mental health and create small but this check-in to either continue your course, or
effective changes in the workplace. change it. This essentially means that distractions
make it difficult for us to stay in the present
She shares some of the best Agile 2. Know the difference between moment, to concentrate or to switch
principles, a popular form of coaching, as reacting and responding off. Taking small steps like silencing the
well as other entry level training options A healthy mind can make all the difference notifications on your device, journalling
that can be used by both employers and when it comes to your reactions. Knowing your feelings on paper, and making a
employees to support anyone suffering the difference between choosing to react physical and permanent visual to-do list
from mental health issues. instinctively or impulsively, or to respond with that you can work through systematically,
guided thinking and reasoning is very important. one item at a time, can really help improve
1. Learn how to STOP your focus and productivity and reduce
Looking after your mental health starts Knowing and becoming self-aware of your the feeling of being overwhelmed and
with learning and applying skills such behaviour will give you an honest indication disorganised.

28 | INTRAMUROS JANUARY 2023