Work plays a large part in people’s lives and having a workplace that understands and supports good mental health is important to our wellbeing.

As a manager, you can encourage positive mental health by role modelling self-care. This might include maintaining work/life balance, taking time off when you’re unwell, talking openly about mental health, and taking regular breaks.

Employers have a responsibility to assist young workers by making reasonable adjustments in the workplace to benefit their mental health. This might involve having regular supportive conversations with them, making temporary changes to their role, working conditions or approving additional breaks and leave.

You could think about factors in the workplace that are potentially contributing to worker stress, such as not being clear about their role and responsibilities, , the amount of control they have over their work, workloads and time pressures. You could also provide encouragement to seek external support and perhaps even provide them with some suggestions for places that they could seek assistance. 

Learn more about what you can do to create create a mentally healthy workplace by visiting headspace.org.au/employers

You are not expected to be available out of work hours or to provide counselling for young workers. These are very reasonable boundaries to set. In fact, being clear on what you can and can’t do might encourage the worker to seek the support that they need outside of work.

You are not expected to take responsibility for all aspects of your staff’s wellbeing. You are one part of a community of support that may include a GP, the worker’s family or significant others, a headspace centre or other support service. To find a headspace centre near you visit: headspace.org.au/headspace-centres.

When stress increases, we can let go of many of the things that keep us well. Getting in to life can help to boost your mood and give you a sense of achievement. Regularly doing things that you enjoy is good for your wellbeing. Are you making time for hobbies, socialising, relaxing activities, trying something new, or creative? Are you continuing to grow your skills through professional development and staying connected to those aspects of your work that you’re more passionate about? Do not let these things go when you are more stressed. You might need to start small by choosing one activity that makes you happy and trying to build on that over time when life is difficult.

We all have different ways of coping with difficult times. It is useful to reflect on what works for you and whether there is more that you could be doing to support yourself. Some people practice regular relaxation or mindfulness, others spend time in nature, whilst some of us use art, or talking to others as strategies to deal with stress.

Relationships with friends, family (including pets), colleagues, and others in the community are essential to our mental health. Look for opportunities to strengthen your existing relationships or to develop new connections. For example, you might like to arrange to have lunch with a colleague, meet a friend for coffee, make a phone call to a family member, or re-join the social group that you were once a part of.

Eating well is good for our physical health, it fuels the body and provides energy. But research tells us that it can also impact a person’s mood and mental wellbeing too[1]. Check in with yourself about whether you are eating a good balanced diet, minimal processed foods and plenty of whole foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains and protein.

Physical activity is also good for our mental health. It helps us to regulate our mood and to manage stress.  How do you like to stay active? You might like to run, cycle, dance, do yoga or go to the gym. Consider ways to stay active at work like having walking meetings or regular strength breaks. Incorporating movement regularly is the key.

Sleep is vital for good mental health and often suffers during times of stress. Incorporate “winding down” activities before bed and minimise light and screen time before sleep. If you find it hard to wind down, try a mindfulness exercise like one from the Smiling Mind app.

While it can be tempting to use alcohol or other drugs to get through hard times, they can trigger or contribute to mental health problems over time. Try to avoid using alcohol and other drugs when you’re feeling down and reduce your use by learning new strategies for managing tough times. If you regularly connect with friends or colleagues over drinks, consider alterative like going out for lunch or trying something new together.