Mental well-being

Create healthy mental habits and avoid stress

Stress has become a "public disease" and therefore it has become an important area to focus on, both for yourself and for each other in the workplace. Sometimes it can be easier for people around you to see where it's going. That's why it's a good idea to talk about it and remove the taboo around it.

In the Health Group, we have introduced a stress tracking system called SAP; Self-Assessed Workload:

Every Monday morning we review the week ahead and talk about where we are on a scale of 1-10. In this way, we can gain insight into each employee's mental state and whether there are resources that can be moved around to reduce the pressure on the employees who are most exposed. At the same time, it can also be used for managerial and preventive purposes if it appears that an employee has been high over time.

What can you do to avoid stress?

What you can do to avoid stress is, in addition to a good night's sleep, a healthy and active lifestyle, to prioritize things that recharge and energize you, and to do things that make you happy. If we look at ourselves as a container that can be both filled up and emptied out of, it is a great help. One way to do this is by categorizing different activities/tasks in your life with a color code. At the same time, it contributes to a greater overview:

Categorization of a task/activity:

• Green = something that adds energy to your container
• Yellow = something that is neutral and neither adds nor takes energy
• Red = something that costs you energy

There can be a huge difference between us humans as to whether an activity is red, yellow or green. For some, for example, putting children to bed can be a red activity because it requires energy you do not feel you have at that time of day, while for others it can be a green activity that contributes with great joy and a sense of presence. How an activity affects you and whether it is green, yellow or red is something only YOU can assess and there is no right or wrong.

It's all about how you can use it actively and consciously and make sure that during your day there is as much green as possible and that you limit the red as much as possible. Maybe there are certain tasks you can get help with from others, or maybe you can opt out. If this is not possible, you can use it consciously by making sure that a red activity is followed by a green one. The only person who can make sure that your container is full and is responsible for it is yourself. A good exercise can be to make a list of 20 things that make you happy and make sure to put some of these things into your everyday life.

Want to learn more about mental wellbeing and what your company can do to support mental health? Then read here.