Businesses and employees across South Yorkshire are welcoming a free-to-download, Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources pack that we have just released.
Launched as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, the pack provides essential advice for businesses which do not already have a policy in place, on how to set out a formal approach to staff mental health and wellbeing across all areas. This will create a culture of ‘open-ness’ where staff feel safe to share their thoughts and can support one another without judgment.
The pack also offers guidance for individuals on how to improve wellbeing, access the help available to you and how to support someone that may be struggling with their mental health, particularly during the current Coronavirus pandemic.
Maintaining good mental health and wellbeing can be difficult for some especially throughout the lockdown period, where prolonged episodes of social isolation may be necessary to avoid the risk of contracting the virus can negatively impact an individual’s mental health.
David Grimes, Head of the Growth Hub, comments: “Studies have found that humans require frequent social contact to stay happy and healthy and this need intensifies during crisis events like COVID-19. It is therefore extremely important that we all come together to support one another and remember people deal with things in different ways.
“Everyone is experiencing their own challenges and will need to find what works best for them in terms of self-care. Our new information pack is free to download for both businesses and individuals and can guide you through the various steps you can take to help yourself, team members or friends and family to maintain good mental health and wellbeing now and in the future.”
According to the United Nations’ Inter-Agency Standing Committee, during the current COVID-19 quarantine people may:
- Feel stressed or worried about becoming ill, due to the contagious nature of the virus and the 14-day incubation period
- Feel stressed or worried when exhibiting symptoms of common illnesses, which can be mistaken for those of COVID-19
- Fear being separated from loved ones, losing loved ones and feel powerless in protecting them
- Fear losing their jobs and livelihoods
- Experience feelings of helplessness, boredom, loneliness and depression due to being isolated
Frontline workers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, ambulance drivers etc.) may also experience additional stressors such as:
- Fear of infecting loved ones and falling ill themselves
- Stigmatisation due to working with COVID-19 patients
- Stress caused by extremely high demands in the workplace and long working hours
The impact on mental health can continue to be seen after the passing of a pandemic. This can include individuals exhibiting symptoms of PTSD, increased stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders. Fear of stigma, social exclusion and discrimination may be experienced by individuals who are from, or perceived to be from, areas or countries where the virus originated.
The Growth Hub Mental Health & Wellbeing Resources pack provides information on how to overcome this and guidance on how we can maintain a sense of hope, positive thinking and how we can be helping others. To download your copy, click here.
We hope you find this guide useful. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback. Please do get in touch via our gateway, or on our social media channels.
For information on how The Growth Hub team can offer guidance to business owners and the self-employed throughout the Sheffield City Region to re-start and regrow following the UK lockdown period, click here.