We’re currently in the midst of one of the most active periods in the year for wellbeing professionals, where awareness-building efforts are at their peak. World Suicide Prevention Day was on Sunday September 10, R U OK Day is this Thursday (14 September), and next week is Mental Health Awareness Week here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Not to mention World Mental Health Day is on Tuesday 10 October.
We appreciate that many of you have lots on your plate at this time of year, with lots of great initiatives planned. We see you and your hard work – and the difference you’re making to your workplaces. We also appreciate that you want to progress your organisation’s wellbeing agenda faster than they often want to (that’s why we think wellbeing professionals are revolutionary!)
If we can impart three pieces of advice in this busy time:
1. Think long-term for greatest impact. Your planning horizon for Mental Health Awareness Week shouldn’t be the end of the week itself; It should be 6 to 12 months from now. You can’t ingrain change attitudes to mental health over the space of a week. You need sustained, ongoing messages, engagements, and strategies to continue the momentum you build.
2. Raising awareness of mental health is great – but ensure you have the right supports in place. If you’re encouraging people to speak up if they need support, ensure your signposting is strong, that you have the right acute supports in place, and that those supports are easily accessible. Otherwise, you could end up inadvertently doing more harm than good.
3. Look out for yourselves. All that planning, running activations, presenting, dealing with last-minute changes can be highly stressful. Make sure you’re taking the time to look out for your own wellbeing along the way.
