As the UK starts easing its lockdown restrictions, we find ourselves in another period of change and uncertainty. Looking after the welfare of your employees during this time is incredibly important. In this blog we discuss how to support mental health as the COVID-19 restrictions loosen.

In the coming weeks and months as we all experience another change in lockdown, while it is positive that things are improving, it is another round of uncertainty and change - which can cause stress.

This blog will give you three takeaways:

How to recognise early warning signs that someone may be experiencing low mental health.
Starting a supportive conversation about mental health.
What practical supports we can help with, or signpost to.

What is Mental Health?

While there are plenty of definitions of mental health out there, we take our lead from the World Health Organisation, who define it as:

“Mental health is defined as a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

According to polls from the BBC, mental health has worsened over the past twelve months during the pandemic – but that’s hardly surprising. One thing is certain; There is no health without mental health. We all have mental health – an absence of a mental health issue or diagnosis doesn’t mean an absence of mental health, but there is a risk that that good mental health could reduce and become lower mental health.

Mental health is fluid and changes with time and experiences – we all move through a spectrum of good and low mental health; and some of us will also fluctuate between having a diagnosis of a specific mental health issue and not. Just because you don’t have a diagnosis doesn’t mean you don’t experience periods of low mental health. And when these periods last for more than a few days or weeks then there’s a potential that a mental health issue will develop. 1 in 4 of us will experience some form of mental health issue in any given year, and that statistic is not even counting the pandemic.

Protective and Risk Factors

We’re all individuals and we’ve all got a unique perspective of ourselves and the world around us. Part of our make-up is formed by our protective and risk factors.

Examples of Protective Factors are:

Positive parenting
Living in a tolerant community
Stable home/ housing
Coping skills
Nutrition

Examples of some Risk Factors are:

Alcohol
Drugs
Smoking
Poverty and Poor Housing
Abuse or bullying
Unemployment
Traumatic life events

When risk factors outweigh protective factors, that is when our vulnerability is increased.

This graph represents vulnerability vs. stress. As you can see, there are two zones – an area of wellness in orange and an area of illness in grey divided by a threshold.

Change is unsettling and if we consider the uncertainties that coming out of lockdown will present us with then we can expect there will be a level of stress associated with it.

Some of us will be further to the left on the graph – the stress will be there but we will cope with it and as such we remain in the area of wellness. However, some of us will be further to the right and the same level of stress will push us beyond the threshold into the area of illness – and we may begin to experience and develop symptoms of mental ill health.

Given that 1 in 5 working age adults will be experiencing signs stress, anxiety or depression at any given point in time we don’t want friends, family and colleagues tipping over into an unhealthy situation.

We also need to be aware that this isn’t fixed, our vulnerability can vary over time – we are all resilient to different experiences. For example, we may experience low mood today but we’ll cope with it and be okay tomorrow. The risk really increases if we’re experiencing low mood or stress for an extended period of time and not coping well.

Warning signs that someone might not be coping

What might we notice when someone isn’t coping?

Changes in thinking and perception
Changes in emotion and motivation
Changes in behaviour

Some things to consider that might have changed:

Tones of emails – are they a bit snippy?
What time contact is made – is it late at night?
Turning video off in zoom meetings
Being late to meetings
Non-verbal clues - is their body language suggesting something different to what they are saying?
Presentation - are they unkempt, dishevelled?
Productivity – has their work changed in terms or quality or quantity?

The changes in someone’s usual patterns or routines that we notice should not be left ignored.

The opposite of ignoring is enquiring

When we are concerned about a colleague, we need to enquire about them and importantly. allow the other person to speak.

If you are able to control the environment it’s good to pick a safe place – whether that’s a meeting room, or going for a walk in the park together, you need to start your conversation where you won’t be interrupted and they will feel safe.

Feel confident to ask what’s going on for them. Ask them what’s on the top of their mind at the moment? You cannot cause harm by asking and you can open the conversation with what you’ve noticed – “I noticed ‘X’ and I wanted to check that you’re okay – is there anything that you want to talk about?”

The answer could any number of factors when we consider coming out of lockdown. It could be the thought of spending less time with family if they are being asked to return to the office, they may feel anxious about mixing with others again in case there is another wave of coronavirus, asking people to upheave their routines again can cause uncertainty and they may have social anxieties, being in public crowded places again or heading back into the office.

Whatever it is that’s going on for them, you need to be good at listening. Allow them the space to speak – don’t be afraid of silences, and don’t just wait for your turn to speak – try to understand and empathise with what they’re saying from their point of view.

Be non-judgemental; you might think it’s trivial or disagree but remember it’s important to them. Empathy – does not start with ‘at least’. “At least you’ve still got a job… at least you can go out… “ These are not helpful.

But once you have started a conversation and someone has opened up to you, what do you do next?

Signposting to Professional Supports

You are not a medical or mental health professional (unless you are…), This is about sharing information, you are not in a position to diagnose of suggest a cure.

If there is a crisis and risk to life then any confidentiality goes out the window and you call 999. Otherwise you can suggest appropriate supports. These could be:

Their GP
An accredited councillor or therapist
A telephone helpline such as the Samaritans or SHOUT

Be aware that they may not want help straight away - and that is fine. You can’t force anyone to accept help, your job is to ensure that they know the support is there when they are ready.

Empower and encourage the person to make an informed decision about the next steps: asking questions such as:

Shall we take this one step at a time?
What have you found helpful in the past?
Have you thought about what might help you now?
Is there someone you feel comfortable you can talk to about this?

There’s also a great App and website called the Hub of Hope, which tells you what services are available in your area. We thoroughly recommend downloading it onto your phone having a look at what’s available near you.

You can also encourage other non-professional supports too. These could be things such as:

Talking to family and friends
Getting in touch with a support group
Revisit or start a new hobby
Keep active - go for walks or do some physical activity

By seeking out and taking part in positive and value adding experiences will add to an individuals protective factors, which in turn reduces vulnerability and reduces the risk of stresses, such as the changes and uncertainties coming out of lockdown that can push us across that threshold into that area of illness we saw on the graph.

Don’t forget your own self-care!

Remember, your own self-care is very important so make sure that you are taking time to boost your own protective factors. Schedule in an hour of happiness and make sure you take some time to do anything that brings you enjoyment. Take a walk, read a book, soak in the bath, bake, chat, play - anything that will be a positive and value adding experience for you will boost your own protective factors.

It’s important to support your own wellbeing so that you can continue to support your friends, family and colleagues.

Supporting Employees Mental Health as the UK begins to exit out of Lockdown