According to The World Health Organization (WHO), one in four people worldwide will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point. There are different coping mechanisms but one that is dangerous and unsustainable is a maladaptive mechanism called avoidance coping.
This form intervenes to keep a person from thinking of or feeling things that make them uncomfortable. It does nothing to address the root cause for fear of facing the possibility that it is a form of personal failure. This belief becomes deep-seated making it difficult to accept that it is a lie we learned to tell ourselves.
“Approximately 450 million people currently suffer from some form of mental illness.” – WHO
It is no wonder we see a rise in conflicts within the workplace and externally in business or commercial dealings. The events of this year have intensified fear and anxiety, adding fuel to the fire of the mental health crisis.
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In a recent Inc Newsletter article, the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO)’s member Shawn Johal, shares ways to strengthen your mental health and happiness right now. I found the three recommendations to be clear and focused on the realities and challenges leaders face. In order to chase their dreams, business executives frequently sacrifice their time with families, relationships, and happiness.
In short, they suggest making your mental health a priority in your long-term strategy. Seek out mindset practices and support systems so you may be the leader you want to be for your team.
And, make sure you tell your team about it and seek their feedback. People are concerned about the changes in the workplace and industries. Make integrating a wellness program and making physical and mental wellness a part of your corporate culture a top goal.
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As a brain science consultant and coach, I see it from a cognitive functioning perspective and drill down on root causes that lead to mental health issues.
In practice, many have acclimated to this ‘new normal’ of social distancing and mask-wearing, but science shows that the brain has other needs. According to Caroline Welch, CEO and co-founder of the Mindsight Institute, our brain is meant to detect patterns in the present which allows us to anticipate what’s likely to happen next.
As a survival mechanism, we are hard-wired to plan for the future. “Not being able to detect and predict patterns in the present frustrates our brain, in effect putting it on furlough,” says Welch. “So, when uncertainty is the only certainty, it’s highly stressful for us.” This is because the brain can’t do its job of predicting, leaving us in a state of life threat even if we are unaware of it.
‘Stress is one of the major risk factors in mental health disorders.’
What most people don’t know is that there are many types of stresses and we think we can identify them accurately but the fact is we cannot. I often hear comments like ‘work has been stressful lately’, or ‘my dad drives me nuts,’ or ‘team makes it hard to…’ What I inevitably find is the source of the stress comes from something entirely different but comes into effect during other scenarios.
That is because we associate a situation with the emotion at the time and establish an erroneous connection between the two. This is a problem that warrants attention and action.
Perhaps this will convince you. Stress leads to burnout and also fuels anxiety and depression, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, Alzheimer’s disease, and even premature death. If you have felt out of sorts and not able to focus or function well, you are not alone. These are all forms of mental health issues that deplete the brain. Deliberate steps should be taken to identify specific sources of stress that make businesses and leaders vulnerable to workplace conflicts or disputes.
What can you do about it?
Understand it better. Did you know that stress is the #1 hidden workplace productivity killer? Research shows that 87% of employees worldwide are stressed and emotionally disconnected from their workplace due to stress. Also, most stress either goes unnoticed, disregarded, or misdiagnosed. Undiagnosed stress causes 60% of all illnesses and diseases according to the medical community and 3 out of 4 doctor visits are due to stress. Stress also costs organizations $300 Billion per year in lost productivity and medical costs.
Measure it. Today we have the ability to measure the sources of stress with high degrees of precision. The Stress Quotient® diagnostic tool I offer breaks down the sources of your stress into 7 categories with 17 sub-categories from there. With that level of granularity, you can avoid misdiagnosis and discover where to focus efforts to address it. The BEST part is that we offer it for individuals, leaders, and teams to help create organizational health. Learn more here.
This is not a panacea. Sooner or later, however, the hard stuff needs to be faced and dealt with whether it is conflicts, disputes, mental health, or other behavior and coping issues. The good news is that you don’t have to deal with it alone. In fact, you shouldn’t deal with this alone. People are not the best judges of themselves due to blind spots and cognitive biases. They simply can’t see them for themselves and be objective.
#mentalhealthhabits, #emotionalintellligence, #leadershipdevelopment, #brainsciencecoaching, #professionaldevelopment
About the author: Hi, I’m Adriana and I write for leaders, managers, and professionals who want to optimize human capital and manage business disruptions during times of crisis. For over 3 decades I have focused on behaviors and technology trends and now I apply brain science with my certified specialties in behaviors, motivational drivers, and emotional intelligence (EQ). Contact and visit me at https://adrianavela.expert
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