Why We Must Talk Openly About Mental Health At Work

Innovation Why We Must Talk Openly About Mental Health At Work Karen Pavlin Brand Contributor ServiceNow BRANDVOICE Storytelling and expertise from marketers | Paid Program Oct 7, 2022, 03:40pm EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A mission to normalize conversations about invisible struggles in the workplace. “How are you doing?” Such a ubiquitous question, one usually answered with a blithe “fine, thanks” or something along those lines. And yet, if we were to respond honestly, it would be a much different scenario—especially in a professional environment.

Having open conversations about mental health should be encouraged in the workplace. getty Having honest discussions about mental health at work is not the norm. Still, we know that by fostering a culture of openness and transparency, employees create deeper connections with each other and the organization as a whole.

That’s why ServiceNow developed a series of internal events to provide a safe space for discussions around inclusion, belonging , identity, and allyship. We want to encourage the courageous conversations that build a better understanding of one another and create a psychologically safe space for topics like mental health at work. Vanessa Chan is a senior director at ServiceNow, where she leads corporate strategy for North Asia.

She is also a certified yoga and meditation instructor who found healing through yoga, meditation, and therapy. She courageously told her story of battling mental illness and what helped her to recover. As chief equity and inclusion officer at ServiceNow, I asked Vanessa about her journey and why it’s important that she share it with others.

You’ve been incredibly open about your journey with mental illness and why you sought help. Can you share a little more? For most of my life, I thought to be “good” was to go to certain schools, study certain subjects, and work in certain jobs. I felt pressure to accomplish these things, and even though I ticked all the boxes, it wasn’t easy.

In the process of achieving all I did, I became totally lost, overwhelmed, and anxious. For the first decade of my career, I was extremely focused and driven. I traveled nonstop and pulled many late nights, because that’s the winning formula for a successful life, right? But I was still carrying a lot of anxiety and was physically and emotionally exhausted.

Then, my marriage failed. I hit rock bottom. I couldn’t sleep or eat and was on a downward spiral emotionally.

I was diagnosed with clinical depression, but I kept this hidden at work because I felt like, as a woman in tech, I was already under extra scrutiny. Eventually, my colleagues noticed my weight loss and encouraged me to seek help. I was fortunate to have friends and mentors who generously shared their own experiences with me.

They also helped me navigate the corporate structure to get the support I needed. I am also incredibly grateful to my family and friends, whom I often deprioritized, but during that time, I really felt their love. With the guidance of my professional medical team and therapists, I regained my strength and embarked on a new journey.

Talking freely about mental health struggles in the workplace, especially in Asia, is unusual. Where did you find the courage to speak up? While my colleagues were extremely helpful as I was regaining my health, I didn’t talk publicly about my journey until I moved to a new company. I was hired to do a highly visible job, and I knew that I might fall back into my old habits.

I wanted to lead in a different way. When I completed a major project, I took some time to reflect. I attended yoga teacher training every weekend for months, where all I did was study, practice yoga, and meditate.

Later, I also got certified to teach meditation. These courses opened up a new world for me. My teachers urged me to think about how to use my own life experiences to serve others.

Now, I feel a deep calling to make it OK to talk about our invisible struggles and to be honest and vulnerable at work. That’s my mission. Most people have no problem taking a sick day.

But if we have a mental illness, most of us choose to hide our pain and continue working. During the pandemic 22% of the workforce in Asia experienced mental health issues, but close to 83% still showed up to work despite their suffering. Most people have no problem taking a sick day.

But if we have a mental illness, most of us choose to hide our pain and continue working. We have made so much progress in understanding mental illness, treatment, and prevention, but stigma is one of the biggest challenges we face when it comes to normalizing mental health. What advice do you have for people who struggle with their mental well-being? Accepting that you have a treatable illness and knowing that change is possible is always the first step to recovery.

Following basic science can help you realize that you are not dealing with a rare or incurable disease. Treatment exists! You may be tempted to think you can sort yourself out, but in most cases, professional support is the best way to get to recovery. Stay connected with people who can support you throughout the process, and keep doing things that make you smile.

I learned that we as people naturally have a negative bias. By default, you will pay more attention to the negative events because your brain is trying to protect you from harm. But sometimes you get stuck and completely miss the good things around you.

You can counteract this negativity by developing habits that proactively remind you of the positive things in your life. You can begin or end your workday with gratitude, meditation, walking in nature, or playing with a pet. Sleep, exercise, and nutrition are also important for mental health.

If you practice daily, the good feelings will accumulate, and you will have kind of a “positivity reservoir” to draw from in negative moments. Often, mental illness affects more than the person who is suffering. How can friends, family, or even work colleagues support someone who is struggling? First, everyday connections are important.

It’s hard to see if something’s wrong if you’re not connected with someone as a person. You have to know how they usually sound or look to assess if they are a little off. Second, go back to science.

Know the facts because the unknown creates fear and fear makes you freeze. Educate yourself on what mental illness is and what it isn’t. And if you want coaching to learn to help others, have a few sessions with a therapist.

Third, patients with mental illness often don’t get the same support they would if they had another, well-known serious illness. Show your support in big and small gestures. Be a good listener and keep asking questions that can help patients talk about their condition.

Finally, let doctors and therapists do their jobs—don’t take on all the burden yourself. Be open-minded, and open-hearted, about what a successful recovery may look like, and celebrate every little milestone along the way. What are your hopes for the future of mental well-being in the workplace? What can we —as individuals or as businesses—do to help get there? Everyone in the workplace, especially people who manage others, needs training on how to identify behavior that needs to be addressed, how to handle difficult conversations, and what supports exist for people who may need help.

Companies can make resources easily accessible, like we do at ServiceNow. In addition to offering insurance that covers psychotherapy, we need agents within the organization who are qualified to discuss the topic. Sponsor employees to become qualified to conduct mini workshops on topics like meditation, mindfulness, and well-being.

Use the workplace community to scale knowledge. We know the science; we know the tactics. Now we have to normalize having the conversations.

Fostering a healthy work culture is also important. Provide space and structure for proven stress relief tools such as breathing exercises and meditation. Encourage positive behavior, such as showing gratitude to employees often, including them in the bigger picture, and connecting their contributions to business goals so they know they matter.

We’ve made a lot of progress on workplace well-being, but we need to keep reminding people that mental illness is not scary. It is completely treatable and even preventable. But it takes all of us to make connections often and to take action to help the next generation be mentally healthy.

We know the science; we know the tactics. Now we have to normalize having the conversations. Monday, October 10 is World Mental Health Day , dedicated to making mental health and well-being a global priority.

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