Mental well-being

Stress has become a widespread problem, which is why it’s important to focus on it—both in ourselves and in our interactions with others at work. Sometimes, the people around you may be better able to see where things are headed. That’s why it’s a good idea to talk about it and break down the stigma surrounding it.

At Acture, we have implemented a stress tracking system called SAP: Self-Assessed Workload:

Every Monday morning, we review the upcoming week and discuss where we stand on a scale of 1 to 10. This allows us to gain insight into each employee’s mental state and determine whether resources can be reallocated to ease the pressure on those employees who are most at risk. At the same time, this can also be used for management and preventive purposes if it becomes apparent that an employee has consistently scored high over time.

What can you do to avoid stress?

In addition to getting a good night’s sleep and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle, one way to avoid stress is to prioritize activities that recharge you and give you energy, as well as doing things that make you happy. It helps a lot if we think of ourselves as a container that can be both filled up and emptied. One way to do this is by color-coding different activities and tasks in your life. At the same time, this helps you maintain a better overview:

Categorization of a task/activity:

• Green = something that adds energy to your container
• Yellow = something that is neutral and neither adds nor takes away energy
• Red = something that drains your energy

There can be a huge difference among us as people in whether an activity is red, yellow, or green. For some, for example, putting children to bed might be a red activity because it requires energy they don’t feel they have at that time of day, while for others it might be a green activity that brings great joy and a sense of connection. How an activity affects you and whether it is green, yellow, or red is something only YOU can assess, and there is no right or wrong answer.

It’s all about how you can use it actively and consciously to ensure that your day includes as much green as possible and that you limit the red as much as possible. Perhaps there are certain tasks you can get help with from others, or maybe you can choose to skip them. If that’s not possible, you can use it consciously by making sure that a green activity follows a red one. The only person who can ensure your tank is full and who is responsible for it is you. A good exercise might be to make a list of 20 things that make you happy and make sure to incorporate some of these things into your daily life.

Would you like to learn more about mental well-being and what your company can do to support mental health? Then read on.