What's in your Mental Health Tool Box? Proactive vs Reactive

E93: The Empire of Canada panel discussion Addressing Mental Health in Young Adults Mental Wellness I

Jun 23, 2023

“Could Mental Health be the Diabetes Epidemic of 2050?” I published an essay after an intense “From idea to published in a day” writing challenge. Very interesting topic. Way longer than the 1500-word/7-minute read that I aim for in our regular weekly emails.

I debated shielding this extensive topic from Tribe Tilt. Then a friend and I started chatting: “What have you been up to recently? Finished writing your second book yet?” I shared my many distractions and activities. In particular, the invitation to moderate an Empire Club of Canada panel on ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUNG ADULTS: Implications for Workplace Leaders (details below). I realized that this topic has since taken up significant real estate in my mind - a personal signal that I should get over my reticence and start sharing it with many people.

Her questions echoed some core ideas that we discussed on the panel:

Stigma: “Is mental health really a growing problem? Or are we just more willing to talk about it more openly?” Are we hearing about it more often because more people are willing to openly discuss the topic? Is there a self-imposed stigma — perceived or real — that prevents us from reaching for the help we need?
Causes: “We had a lot of pressures growing up. What is different in this era of starting work and adulting?”
Solutions: Can we make help easier to access? Why should corporations care? What makes this a management problem? What can corporations do/do differently? “Is there anything I can do that might make a difference?”

Mental health impacts individuals. But also families and corporations. And if there is something we can do to help ourselves and others in the sphere of our care, then I believe it is important to share those ideas.

WHO? WHAT? WHY?

If this topic is of interest, we’ll split it over a few editions. And I look forward to you joining in the conversation here, and taking it to barbeques, coffee corners and board rooms, industry breakout sessions and your own dinner table. If there is one thing that I have learned about sensitive topics (climate, Future of Work) it is this: They want to see sunlight and be spoken about in the open:

More young adults are experiencing mental health issues. According to Boston Consulting Group, 40% of Gen Z employees (born 1995-2010) report they are at a mental health breaking point.
This is a WE problem. Paying attention to mental health and offering support has a direct positive effect on retention and productivity. It hits the bottom line - economically.
What does this have to do with the Future of Work? As we move into a new work era (Future of Work) we are losing our boundaries, mental guideposts, and frameworks causing confusion and stress. Add Covid to the mix and this first cohort of digital natives are operating without maps, navigating a work environment new to all of us.

What can each of us do to support ourselves and those in the sphere of our care?

Definition of mental health

I’ve chosen this one from the Mayo Clinic:

Mental health is the overall wellness of how you think, regulate your feelings and behave. Sometimes people experience a significant disturbance in this mental functioning. A mental disorder may be present when patterns or changes in thinking, feeling or behaving cause distress or disrupt a person's ability to function. A mental health disorder may affect how well you: Maintain personal or family relationships; Function in social settings; Perform at work or school; Learn at a level expected for your age and intelligence; Participate in other important activities

— What is Mental Health, Mayo Clinic

[After a discussion with Tilt member Terri Lonier,

Terri Lonier’s Working Solo

I may switch to using Mental Fitness instead of Mental Health, because it has a proactive, preventative slant. We could each be doing another mental lap or pushup.]

How this started …

Moderating a panel: Addressing Mental Health in Young Adults: Implications for Workplace Leaders

Thank you to The Empire Club of Canada for inviting me to moderate a panel on this really important and interesting topic. The audience of 400+ comprises influential leaders and managers across commerce, society, and education.

Our panel members:

Dr. Deepy Sur - CEO, Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW)
Denis Trottier - Chief Mental Health Officer, KPMG Canada
Stephanie Jones - Mental Health Facilitator, Speaker & Author

My discovery calls uncovered such rich discussion from these panelists. Please take time to explore the transcript/listen/watch the full discussion between these experts - each of whom has their own lived story with mental health. It is filled with essential tidbits and information that I believe should be shared more broadly:

Two-thirds of women between the ages of 18 and 34 said they were living with a mental health condition. — Deepy Sur, OASW report 2023 [11:52]
The additional impact of Covid on BIPOC employees. — Stephanie Jones [15:46]
Stigma - There is still a significant stigma associated with accessing mental health care services. Stephanie wanted to make it clear that professionals will lose their licenses if they share your information with an employer. — Stephanie Jones [18:05]

Is this a problem?

Multiple surveys are surfacing similar statistics. McKinsey’s 2022 American Opportunity Survey which included GenZ found “an astounding 55 percent reporting having either been diagnosed with or having received treatment for mental illness (compared with 31 percent of people aged 55 to 64 reporting the same).”

These are not new statistics. In 2018-2019 Ontario Guidance Counsellors were reportedly spending at least 26% of their time negotiating the health care services on behalf of students in mental crisis.

By 2025, 25% of the workforce will be GenZ. These statistics collectively suggest we make mental health a key focus in the way we lead our workforce.

SOLUTIONS

What is in your mental health toolbox?

“It’s critical that people populate their mental health toolbox before they need it.
Be proactive vs. reactive”
— Denis Trottier [14:07]

I particularly want to draw your attention to this concept. “Be prepared.” Not just for yourself. Your inquiry may benefit a colleague, or help you access information for a family member in your circle of care.

There is no First Aid Kit for Mental Health. So you have to build it yourself. Start with the basics (the equivalent of bandaids). Write down the phone numbers for your health plan. Collect the URLs of a few free resources. Does your local health authority offer easy access to resources? Connect with someone you trust and ask them if they will be willing to take a call from you if you find yourself in a dark place. You may recall this heartfelt plea from Boxer Paddy Pimblett “I would much rather my friend come to me and cry on my shoulder than me cry while carrying his coffin.”

You can now expand your kit from there.

Here are five ideas to consider as you do that:

Lower the lift: Figure out how to navigate your own employee benefits package (can also be known as Employee Assistance Plan EAP/Fringe Benefits). Once you have got the basic First Aid Kit in place, take it for a test drive. DO A BASELINE MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-IN. Set up your systems in a low-stake moment. Did you do baseline concussion tests for ice hockey or football? Think of this the same way. But double benefit: you get to know where the buttons are, the URLs and phone numbers; create a relationship with a health advocate before you ever need one. Because when you are down a wormhole, it may be a significant challenge to take that simple first step for the first time.
Learn how to create and negotiate boundaries: In the 24/7 world that came with our new “Future of Work” we have lost the traditional moments of transition and downtime - the M-F, the 9-5. Work and home now seep into each other, especially if you embrace hybrid work. Many of us haven’t realized our physical commute (as rough as it might have been) was a mental switch from “work” to “home”. LEARN HOW TO ASK FOR A WINDOW OF TIME IN THE DAY THAT WILL NOT GET INTERRUPTED BY WORK. Then learn to stick to it. Even firefighters and ER nurses have days off.
What is your pressure valve? It could be a physical activity such as running or working out. Or it could be creative. When my son is anxious, he is on his guitar “I play music so I don’t bite my nails.” Or a night out with friends. Or in with Netflix. Journaling, meditating, a long walk. Consider a stillness retreat, as
Saalik Lokhandwala
did in his latest edition of the Spoonful. First, figure out how you best recover. Then MAKE IT A NON-NEGOTIABLE ON YOUR REGULAR SCHEDULE.
Take your vacation: And make sure you UNPLUG. You may think you can get by on a sequence of long weekends to leverage your North American 12-day vacation budget, but given that people on sabbaticals take three months to detox from stress, consider taking at least one contiguous week a year, preferably in nature, where you can touch the earth and view open horizons. Check
Alexandra Allen
recent edition There’s a Crack in Everything, thats How the Light Gets In for the value on unplugging from the grind (particularly for solopreneurs) .
Don’t let a self-imposed stigma stand in the way of seeking help. Very often, a fear that we may be labeled if we access mental health services stops us from reaching for assistance. Sometimes it is stress. Sometimes it is loneliness. I recall my daughter reaching out to the support services at her university in the depths of a wintery February. Her advisor diagnosed her with a serious case of cabin fever and recommended she take a bus to a coffee shop in the centre of town for a change of study scenery. That’s all she needed to get out of her slump.
Don’t suffer in silence. Asking for help is hard, but it is a step.
— Denis Trottier

The Tilt the Future newsletter recognizes REST as a 21st-century skill. The REST editions encourage us to think about rest, start a conversation with others, take time for ourselves, and catch up on sleep - allowing our subconscious mind to spark our natural regeneration and creativity. These editions normalize rest.

Make. Take. Talk.

What was the most important idea that you took from this discussion today? What would you like to discuss next?

Let’s follow the advice of Stephanie Jones and have “Frequent Conversations”.

Please share this edition with someone who needs to hear this message, today.

Could Mental Health be the Diabetes Epidemic of 2050? on karenadesouza.com
McKinsey Report: How does Gen Z see its place in the working world? With trepidation -
Watch/Read/Listen: Youtube/Audio recording of the Empire Club of Canada panel discussion:

Addressing Mental Health in Young Adults: Implications for Workplace Leaders

Special thanks to

John Nicholas

for his recent whale-brain twitter thread and one-on-one help in breaking this topic into bite-sized chunks. Thanks to all Tribe Tilt who emailed me to check in on me when your regular email wasn’t in your inbox this past weekend!

Welcome to our many new Tribe Tilt members (11 in the past 30 days) including my cousin in the UK. Some of you discovered this newsletter through the panel I recently hosted on Mental Health for Young Adults in the Workplace.

You join an engaged, collaborative, and supportive community that believes we can make a difference to the people and places that are precious to us. We respectfully engage each other in intellectually challenging discussions. We believe that the best idea can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time. Our rich diversity adds texture to our conversations here. In this space, within this Tribe, you have permission to explore and voice your ideas.

Is this your first edition of our newsletter? Come join our Tribe and our regular discussion:

See you next week. Your homework is to start populating your Mental Tool Kit. Until then, stay healthy. From there all else becomes possible.
Karena