Checking In On World Mental Health Day
Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash
This Sunday, 10 October is World Mental Health Day, and it’s a good reminder that we’re in a storm of mental health issues like no other, and we need to be looking after ourselves and those around us.
If you’ve been feeling a bit joyless, frustrated or worse recently, it’s firstly worth remembering that we are social creatures who have spent the best part of two years working far too close to our beds, and separated from many friends and family by lockdowns, restrictions and border closures. A lot of people are feeling low, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be working hard to do whatever we can to help ourselves and one another.
Pre-Covid, the World Health Organization estimated that globally, more than 300 million people were suffering from depression – the leading cause of disability. More than 260 million were living with anxiety disorders, they said. Back then, the WHO estimated that depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion (USD) each year in lost productivity. We’re expecting the impact of the past two years will see those numbers rise significantly when the next report comes out.
In 2020, the number of suicides reported in Singapore was the highest it’s been since 2012, and experts attribute this to the pandemic.
Here at Accela, we take mental health seriously, and try to make sure everyone feels supported and connected, but we’ll be honest, it’s not easy when we’re 100% remote due to fluctuating restrictions.
And while regularly checking in on teammates is key, it shouldn’t just happen on World Mental Health Day! Here are some of the ways Accela has tried to lift the spirits of our team throughout the past year, especially when we haven’t been able to be together in person.
Carving Out Time For Fun
Remember those days when a group of colleagues would spontaneously go out for lunch or you’d all head to a bar after work for a quick drink before going home? Ok, it wasn’t that long ago, but it’s starting to feel like a distant memory.
While we are remote, our CSR team has been making a big effort to make sure we can still find ways to connect and come together for fun, through quizzes, sweepstakes and other team-building activities.
In September we were lucky enough to be able to have some of the team meet for an in-person escape room, while another team completed a virtual escape room experience through The Fun Empire when the latest round of Singapore’s restrictions came into effect.
Content & Community Manager Jacqui Smith, who attended the virtual escape room, which involved cracking hieroglyphic codes in Ancient Egypt said: “I was initially skeptical about how cool it would be to do an online collaborative task for three hours, but the time flew by and it was super fun! I worked with colleagues I hadn’t had a chance to interact much with previously and got to exercise a different side of my brain, which actually made me feel more productive later in the day. Highly recommend!”
Above: a virtual escape room with the Fun Empire
Letting Our Team Members Know We Care About Them
Sure, your day might be full of Zooms and company chats, with business seemingly ticking along like usual, but how much do you know your team outside the office - are they really ok?
Perhaps they live alone and are craving social interaction, or are in a home with many family members and are just hoping for some silence. Maybe they are worried about someone who is sick or at risk, or who has lost their income stream. It’s likely everyone is feeling some degree of anxiety or overwhelm, given the circumstances.
At Accela, we know the fluctuating restrictions, case numbers and uncertainty has been weighing on our team members, so we sent out care packages and Capitaland vouchers to coincide with each team member’s vaccination, and help them through any uncomfortable side effects.
While we can’t gather for cake and pastries in the office, we do make sure we celebrate birthdays and personal achievements in our team WhatsApp chat, as well as through a quiz on how well we know the team members who are having their birthdays. It’s fun, but we are still looking forward to monthly birthday cake and pastry Wednesdays at the office again!
Above: one of the care packages sent home over P2HA when the team was getting vaccinated.
Getting Coping Strategies From The Professionals
As the parents at Accela highlighted in this post, compartmentalising work and home life is a real sanity saver. But it’s not always practical to do so when you’re living and working with needy children, or your retired and meddling parents!
Most people are very good at hiding their mental health challenges, so it’s important to truly listen to our colleagues, and be aware of any signs they might need to take a break (things like cynicism, lack of energy, motivation and focus, low mood and withdrawing).
Here at Accela we are proud to partner with Safe Space, who offer live online support for anyone looking to enhance their mental health. When we kicked off the partnership, Safe Space ran a webinar on burnout (recapped here), which the team found really insightful.
Lydia Lee from Accela’s CSR team says the overall feedback was that the Safe Space burnout webinar, “gave us great tips at spotting signs and symptoms of burnout, and is a useful tool in identifying if one of our teammates is at risk of burning out.”
As well as anonymous counseling, Safe Space also offers regular short courses, for instance, a recent offering on creating habits to improve happiness.
Listening to meditation podcasts, perusing websites dedicated to mental health like Waking Up and taking a walk outside can also help move through a moment, but when the dark thoughts don’t move on, it’s best to pick up the phone and chat to the professional. Singapore has a toll-free mental health helpline at 1800 283 7019. While fees are by donation only, you can access the counseling services at no charge if your finances are tight.