Boosting Mental Health and Morale in the Workplace
Megan B. Bartley‘s friend, Andy Vasily, has an AWESOME podcast called Run Your Life Podcast. Recently he did an episode on Boosting Mental Health and Morale in the Workplace. This 20-minute episode is packed with wonderfully insightful information that Megan uses in her role as the Founding Director of The Mindfulness Center. While this episode is geared toward leaders in an “organization,” the reality is that we are all leaders (see more below). Not only can you apply this information at work, you can also put it to use at home.
Some wonderful insights from this podcast episode:
Did you know The Mindfulness Center offers Mindfulness to Organizations?!
Yes, and… we do it with the intention of building a workplace culture that acknowledges stress, burnout, trauma exposure (perhaps in medical or religious fields)—and the resulting mental and physical health risks—and empowers staff to work towards balanced self-care, emotional regulation, effective stress management, increased communication, and overall wellness.
Stress and compassion fatigue are normal responses to the complex and overwhelming situations we may find ourselves in our personal lives, and at work.
Let’s face it, none of us need MORE to do. Our work with organizations looks at how they might think about stress in new ways. We like to set people up for success and are looking for win-win scenarios so people feel more successful in their life.
How you show up with others invites those people to show up that way with you.
Whether you are actively in a leadership role or not, there are people you are surrounding yourself with that are attuning to you. How you are resonating with others may be evident in how those around you show up with you. They could be “mirroring” the energy and presence they are getting from you.
Potential areas organizations may choose to focus on:
- Identify how stress manifests in individuals and workplace systems and how mindfulness can increase capacity for resilience and cognitive flexibility
- Recognize risk factors and protective factors for compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout and cultivate a mindset and environment that nurtures the potential for compassion resilience
- Exercise a mindfulness mindset to regulate emotions and respond adeptly and creatively in challenging situations
- Apply mindful strategies in order to develop a broader perspective that supports effective communication and connection
- Develop a personal mindfulness strategy to utilize when experiencing workplace/personal stressors
Research shows some interesting information:
- Specific risk factors and protective factors have been identified for compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout, which means perspectives, skills, and environmental changes can be learned and implemented to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors.[1]
- People and workplaces that foster resilience on a regular basis create an environment where employees feel less stressed, experience fewer feelings of imposter syndrome, are more socially connected, and are more purposeful than those who don’t.
The Mindfulness Center would love to help boost morale, mental health, and mindfulness in your organization!
Not only can we do this with your employees, but also with your leadership team. Oftentimes leaders have a hard time spending time connecting with their teams when the leaders don’t feel like they are being mentally and emotionally supported. Reach out to Britt Riddle to chat more! We look forward to connecting!
