Improving the Mental Health of Employees

Are you facing mental stress during work. Here is a list of top nine suggestions to help and improve mental health of employees.

(i) Besides regular paid job, one has to keep himself in other self actualisation work for relaxation and self satisfaction. The special and gifted qualities of a person are to be unfolded.

He must keep himself engaged in physical exercise, games and sports, painting, reading, singing, playing musical instrument, gardening, fine arts, knitting and embroidery, stitching work. By developing certain hobbies, one can get enough relaxation which is extremely necessary to reduce monotony and boredom and improve one’s mental health.

(ii) The individual must make efforts to involve himself in group activities as separation from a group leads to loneliness, introversion and day dreaming which are ultimately not conducive for sound mental health.

By engaging oneself in group activities like pujas, festivals, picnics, excursions, study tours and eating in groups one can case his mental problems. Remaining in isolation and loneliness should be avoided as much as possible. Communication with others should be encouraged. The desire to face the world and meet its challenges should be generated.

(iii) The employee should be allowed to do such jobs which gives him satisfaction. If an employee is pressurized to do certain jobs to which he is allergic, it would aggravate mental problems.

Slowly and gradually steps may be taken to condition him to like such a work rather than putting sudden pressure on him to take up the work. A lecturer who strongly dislikes to teach a particular branch of business administration or psychology or any other subject should not be forced to teach the same without giving him time and scope to adjust or change his attitude.

(iv) The employee should be given enough scope to update his knowledge and skills to adjust successfully with the changing circumstances inside and outside the work environment. Provision for a good library with proper sitting arrangements should be there.

(v) The employees should not be overworked. Enough time should be provided for relaxation. By and large worker oriented attitude should be preferred than work oriented attitude.

(vi) To reduce organisational and familial stress, the boss or first line supervisor should be a patient listener than a big talker. He should have deep insight into the personal problems of each worker. Face to face contact and direct interaction between the worker and the management is necessary to channelise tension and anxiety in a healthy and adoptive manner.

(vii) Every school, college or organisation should have a counsellor who will not only study systematically the prominent stresses prevalent in the individuals but also would try to improve the mental health of the persons.

The counsellor can help the mentally unhealthy individuals to reduce his stress by making him develop insight into his own problems. He can act as a mirror on which the mentally unsound persons can reflect their emotional and personal problems.

The counsellor can also help in the act of communication between the employee and the counsellor the teacher and the taught. By listening patiently and sympathetically to the problems of the workers and students particularly with emotional and psychological contexts, the counsellor can help him automatically solve many of his problems and cope better. By exchange of ideas things can improve a lot.

The duty of the counsellor is also to advise the management to be more sympathetic and patient and considerate towards the employees problems. Thus the main objective of the counselling programme is to improve the mental health of the employees which ultimately helps in the growth of self confidence, understanding, cooperation and finally ability to give the best to the organisation.

(viii) Many current psychologists suggest the provision for Yoga, meditation and Pranayam to reduce stress and anxiety and improve mental health. Observations and various experiences in day-to­day life indicate that Pranayam, Yoga and meditation including other body exercises have produced outstanding results in stress management.

With the increasing stresses and strains of day-to-day life due to pressure on the human beings from several fronts, the practice of yoga has become a very common assert to reduce stress and anxiety. Those who are engaged in these practices daily experience the positive effect of yoga on the mental and physical health of an individual.

This is why now a days yoga is practiced in a large scale by people old and young throughout. India and abroad. There is sufficient proof to support that Pranayam and Yoga not only reduce mental stress, many diseases are also cured through these practices.

Yoga is now being accepted by people as a science and there are ample empirical findings and evidences to support this belief. Thus, yoga has a paramount role in improving physical and mental health.

In addition to the above measures stress management programmes and counselling sessions should also be undertaken regularly through government and non-government efforts to improve physical and mental health.

Realizing the tremendous importance of yoga in human life currently in many schools of India and abroad, yoga is introduced as a part of the curriculum. If yoga is practiced regularly by everyone from the early age people can be able to maintain sound physical and mental health.

(ix) Positive thinking is the key to healthy and stress free life. It undoubtedly helps stress management and thus healthy life. What is positive thinking? It is an optimistic attitude towards the happenings and occurrences of day-to-day life. It is looking at things positively and giving up negative thoughts from mind.

An example below will explain this point: 

Some of my son’s valuable belongings were stolen away when he was staying in Bangalore, some years back. He telephoned me and incidentally informed about this. I was surprised to note that he was not at all worried though properties worth Rs. 20,000 or more were stolen.

When I expressed my sorrow, he said Don’t worry Maa, God is great, who knows much more things would have been stolen and our life would have been in danger.

This is an example of looking at our sufferings, worries and difficulties in a positive and constructive way, so that our life can be much more enjoyable and free of stress. Does frequent worry serve any purpose? No. Rather it makes more harm than good. Hence why not culture positive thinking and accept the occurrences easily considering them as normal happenings.

Rationalization in a constructive way helps a lot of positive thinking. If I am staying in a one-storey building while my neighbour has a beautiful three storey building, I need not worry or feel sorry for that. I should rather be satisfied with whatever I have been able to acquire or achieve. This should be one’s approach while facing various problems in life.

I would not feel sorry for having one pair of shoe if I console my mind by reasoning that I have at least one pair of shoe, but there are people in the society who cannot afford a pair of cheap chappals and so they work bare footed.

Similarly, those people who cannot afford a pair of cheap chappal may try to console themselves by reasoning that “I have at least my legs to walk, but there are people who don’t have even a pair of leg to walk.” If we reason in this way a lot of our stress, unhappiness and worry can be managed and we can have burden free mind.

If we reason in that way, life can be a vast ocean of joy, happiness and peace. We can have a more healthy and rewarding life. An attitude of faith and confidence in oneself can lead to a lot of positive thinking. This can improve one’s self identity and help in stress tolerance.

Patience, satisfaction inspiration, a definite goal or target, an ideal or model or a God father, taking things easily finally leads to victory. One should not be always serious and pessimistic in life.

An attitude and tendency of optimism helps in releasing stress and bringing joy, pleasure and satisfaction in life. One should also make his life meaningful relaxing and rewarding by giving up brooding and engaging oneself in various happiness, extracurricular and co curricular activities.

Keeping in view the realities of life one should match his aspirations according to his abilities and performance. Otherwise there would be feeling of frustration and failure which would aggravate stress and affect health particularly in the psychological plane. High expectations in life without corresponding capabilities produce psychological dysfunctions and sometime psychosomatic disorders.

“Keep up going ahead, keep up progressing, don’t look back, don’t go backward, don’t be jealous of others prosperity, don’t be vindictive don’t be aggressive so as to make harm to others.” should be the motto of life and can lead to a healthy life.

Healthy life style like early to bed and early rise, taking fond in time, eating balanced diet, not developing bad habits drinking enough water, engaging mind in good thoughts also help in stress management.

Programmes of stress management and health psychology should be telecast and broadcast frequently at regular intervals to make people aware and careful of health hazards. This awareness can help in taking various preventive measures.

Electronic and print media play a tremendous role in producing a healthy and stress free society. Since health is wealth every member of the society should give top priority to health management. No negligence should be tolerated in this regard.

The vital cause of poor mental and physical health being overloading of stress; every effective and meaningful measure should be taken to reduce it.