Practical habits for mental well-being at work

GOOD mental health and emotional well-being can be easy to take for granted, but keeping this balance through life's ups and downs can be a struggle for anyone.

- MEGAN GONSALVES

According to Gallup, 36% of South Africans experience excessive daily stress at work.

(Freepik)

Mental health is a constant work in progress, and not something that can ever be finally achieved once and for all. It's helpful to think of it as a journey rather than a destination, because mental well-being requires us to invest in self-care on an ongoing basis - not only in times of crisis.

By consistently nurturing our mental health as part of our ordinary routine, we can set ourselves up for coping successfully with the demands and stresses of today's constantly changing workplace.

According to the latest Gallup report, 36% of the South African workforce experiences excessive daily stress. In addition, more than 71% are either disengaged or actively disengaged at work - some of the more alarming signs of burnout.

This is not surprising considering that according to the Mental State of the World Report, South Africa, with a mental health quotient of 50, ranks 69 out of 71 countries and has the greatest percentage of distressed or struggling respondents at 35%.

It is estimated that employee absenteeism due to depression costs the economy approximately R19 billion annually.