Did you know that an average person spends 50 hours behind a screen in a week and only 6 hours interacting with friends and family? With a huge part of our lives being consumed by technology, it is easy to overlook the benefits of simple human interactions. A simple conversation can do a lot more for your health than you think.
Why talk?
Talking therapy, otherwise known as psychotherapy in the medical world, is a common method used by mental health organisations and doctors to help people battling depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and PTSD. Talk therapy can help you learn about your depression and help you find ways to manage your symptoms.
This is where R U OK Day’s vision stems from.
Mental Health In The Workplace
It makes sense that a mentally healthy workplace would naturally reflect a positive and productive environment – but would you and your colleagues be able to recognise poor mental health? Would they know who to speak with? Is it clear how the situation would be resolved?
It is so often these unanswered questions that leaves mental health in our workplaces a taboo topic. However, this item is growing with statistics indicating:
- 1 in 5 employees are likely to experience a mental health challenge;
- Greater than 6 million working days lost in untreated depression;
- Escalating to a total cost of $10.9 billion p.a. for workplaces.
What To Do?
It is as simple as taking responsibility to make face-to-face, meaningful conversations. Take the leap to ask a colleague you may not normally associate with, a stranger in the street, or the person making your coffee in the morning. It could help more than you think.
The founders of R U OK Day urge you to trust your gut instinct if someone you know or care about isn’t acting as they normally would. Recovery Partners have linked up with mental health specialists, Black Dog Institute, who will offer their professional insights, clinical research, and emerging strategies to tackle the growing burden within our workplaces and the wider community. This event is a fantastic opportunity for professional organisations interested in learning and understanding more about mental health and its role and impact in the workplace.
Our services are available nationwide. For more information about our services contact us.
Our consultants love to have a chat, so go ahead and give us a call on 1300 OHS RTW (647 789) or email enquiries@rrp.com.au
Disclaimer – these articles are provided to supply general safety information to people responsible for OHS in their organisation. They are general in nature and do not substitute for legal and/or professional advice. We always suggest that organisations obtain information specific to their needs. Additional information can be found at https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/Â