“As much as I loved the work, at one point I realized that the trade-offs to my mental well-being weren’t worth it.”
This is one of the early sentences in an article that was published this week, when I was asked about an interesting story that shaped my career.
The article, “5 Ways That Businesses Can Help Promote The Mental Wellness Of Their Employees” ran in Authority Magazine this week (read the article here).
I was talking about my work as Associate Minister of Health, which was a critical part of my interest in Mental Health, and Workplace Mental Health in particular.
When I got to this part of the story… I hesitated.
Did I want to share with the world, with anyone who found the story, that I struggled with mental health at work?
And that experience was a big part of what drove me to the work I do now?
The numbers don’t lie – stigma is a huge concern when it comes to mental health at work.
In survey after survey, a majority of Canadians say they won’t disclose about mental health concerns because they’re worried about being judged negatively.
Would people read this and then think I wasn’t the right person to help their team?
Or would they read it and think “she’s been there. She gets us. She knows the way out?”
I hope it’s the latter.
I hope that when you (and everyone else!) reads this piece, you realize that you’re not alone.
Your team is not alone.
Mental Health challenges, stress, and burnout are common.
And there are things we can do to make it better.
Want to learn more about what you can do to support your team?
I invite you to read the article.
You can also book a call to chat with me about what’s going on with your team.
I look forward to hearing from you.
