It's good to talk?
Mental health is one of the latest themes to have landed at the doors of communicators. The Covid-19 pandemic and the need to reassure people now working from home, as well as those who need to continue to go out to work, has increased the need for employers to support their people and their mental health needs.
For some of us communicators, this organisational and human need to respond is worrying. Maybe we’re from the generation that was told that “there’s always someone worse off than you”, or “put a brave face on it” or indeed, just “move on”. I was brought up in Northern Ireland where children saw things that no child should ever see but which no one really talked about. And you were told that you were fortunate if your family hadn’t been murdered in ‘The Troubles’. Witnessing random murders, bombs going off and a background of sectarianism and discrimination was regarded as relatively normal, every-day events for a whole generation in the 1970s and 1980s. Perhaps we all feel a bit like this with Covid-19; if we’re alive and not personally scarred, do we really have grounds to feel anxious or worried? Of course we do, the fear of trauma can be very damaging, and the fear of death is the ultimate existential concern.
The Covid-19 global pandemic though is clearly unprecedented and many communicators are being encouraged to reassure their people in ways in which we would not have imagined, even just six months ago.
So where do we start?
Well the UK government has already announced a £5million grant to be administered by Mind to support people struggling with their mental health. Mind have some excellent tips about managing your mental health during this coronavirus crisis on their website:
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing
But few of us are mental health experts and the programmes and support required in our organisations have to be carefully thought through. I’m always reminded of something a mental health professional said to me, that if you broke your leg you’d want to speak to a specialist. And yet all kinds of people with no training set themselves up as mental health gurus. So do check the qualifications of anyone offering advice. At a basic level they should be BACP Accredited or UKCP registered counsellors, or psychotherapists and have the required training.
For those who are members of the CIPR, our benevolent fund, iprovision, has recently set up a helpline. This is run by Health Assured and every counsellor is BACP accredited. As a trustee of iprovision, I have seen first-hand the extensive work involved in selecting the appropriate provider.
https://cipr.co.uk/CIPR/About_Us/Benevolent_Fund.aspx
So yes it’s good to talk. And it’s understandable if you feel that you’re not okay in these strange times. If you’ve come across a resource or support that’s been particularly helpful and might benefit others, I’d love to hear from you.
Remember, it’s as important to take your mental and emotional well being as seriously as your physical health, so if you feel that you’re not quite right and it’s troubling you, seek professional help and speak out. Just like many physical health issues, the earlier you address mental and emotional concerns the easier they are to work through and the quicker you’re likely to begin to feel better.
Take care
Published by James
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