By Nathan Shearman, director of therapy and training at Red Umbrella
The early months of the year can be a challenging time for many people. With Christmas and New Year’s festivities being over, things can feel quite flat with little to look forward to until the Easter bank holidays.
The colder and darker days also lead to increased instances of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which can cause severe symptoms. Added to this is the pressure of “new year new me” – the idea that we should all be trying to better ourselves and our lives, when for some, just treading water is hard enough.
And, coming back to work can feel overwhelming and cause significant stress for many, which makes increasing support for employees vital at this difficult time.
Build awareness
Firstly, being aware that it is a challenging time of year is important. We can all too easily assume that the months between January and March are just the same as any other time of the year, and miss the added risks.
SAD, or “winter depression”, can be particularly challenging – it impacts around 2 million people in the UK alone. Being aware that our employees might need more help, whether due to SAD or one of the many factors that make these months so tough, is a good foundation.
Check in
It’s important that we check in with our employees and give them regular opportunities to speak up if they’re not feeling okay. Team meetings are great opportunities for this, but also making sure managers hold one-to-one conversations with employees on a regular basis to give them the chance to discuss any struggles they may have.
Training managers to feel confident to have these conversations around mental health is just as important, so they can learn to say the right things and provide the right kind of support. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training is a great resource for this, especially for managers and leaders.
Make adjustments wherever necessary
Take a moment to review your working space. Are you making the most of what natural light is available? Keeping blinds open in offices can help with this. Where there may be darker spaces, providing additional lighting can help mitigate some of the lower light levels in winter. For those struggling with SAD, you can even get special lamps that emit light at higher levels to replicate sunlight, which can be effective for many.
Encouraging employees to make the most of breaks by going outside to get as much natural light as possible is equally important.
Motivate staff in the right ways
Encourage your employees to look after their own self-care and engage in activities they enjoy. During shorter days we often don’t engage in social activities, sports or hobbies, because it feels too cold or too dark. As a result, we miss out on the things that help us feel better during the rest of the year.
Reminding employees of the importance of self-care, especially at this time of year, is really important. We often socialise less, too, because it’s cold and dark and we don’t want to go out, but also due to tightening finances after the Christmas spend. However, social interactions are extremely important and keeping up those social connections is indispensable for our mental health.
As a business, promoting activities that bring your employees together in social ways rather than work-related ones can be a great help, also providing something positive to look forward to during these challenging months.
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