Wellbeing and Mental Health – same thing? Erm…
Mental Health Awareness week (9-15th May 2022) in the UK means we will be seeing a surge in posts, offers and information on how we can support ourselves and others to achieve this. In many ways, it can add to the burden of our wellbeing. As someone who has been in the people development space for many years, it’s been both interesting and exciting to see the growth of learning solutions that are aligned to improving mental heath and wellbeing. This is a truly a burgeoning market. .
Training can often be seen as the ultimate answer to problems within an organisation, or even with the individual. If you send someone on a training course, then the problem that existed beforehand will magically disappear. I’ve always found this a very surprising and small-minded view, that is as present now as it always has been. Of course, learning and development through training courses has a very important space in growth and change – but what else are you doing to improve and progress? It’s with this critical eye that I have been watching the ‘wellbeing’ industry evolve from something that was seen as a bit hippy or happy clappy to an integral part of any organisational strategy. But what does it mean? .
I’m a bit concerned twofold. Firstly, who is providing these ‘wellbeing’ solutions and secondly understanding whether wellbeing is just the absence or reduction of mental health issues?
Looking at wellbeing providers; we are tripping over ourselves with programmes to improve mindfulness, bust stress and generate happiness but do we look at the credibility of the content and those who are delivering it. To my mind, many training providers are jumping on the band wagon and creating products that fall short of grappling with a complex subject. Wellbeing is more than a cursory understanding of deep breathing and explaining the physiology of stress – it has many contexts and as many potential resolutions and support tools. When Anna and I undertook our Masters in Applied Positive Psychology, we began a journey into understanding the wide-reaching research behind the wellbeing landscape. Like any science, it’s a minefield and it’s because of this that I implore anybody looking to bring in a provider to offer a wellbeing solution – that you really understand the question you are trying to answer and spend time finding the right solution. Most likely it isn’t training and if it is, find someone who really knows their stuff.
Secondly, wellbeing – what does that actually mean? This is not just the absence of poor mental health. Wellbeing and life satisfaction are about flourishing and thriving and being your best possible self. It is an ongoing journey of positive self-exploration to make sure that you are aware of your shifting values and personal ambitions. When we experience episodes of poor mental health (and all of us do) it is important that we source the right support, and it is important for employers to provide this. I see this as something different to wellbeing. Wellbeing is looking at how we help people who are okay to become amazing, to feel great more of the time rather than feeling ‘meh’ and to understand the purpose and meaning in their life and work. When I look at the market, wellbeing offers are often just about achieving the absence of poor mental health and speak nothing to feeling and being your best. Both managing poor mental health and improving wellbeing are critical deliverables which can sometimes be achieved through training – but not just training.
One activity that is at your personal disposal to improving your wellbeing and your mental health is laughter. It is free and desirable, and everyone is looking for a bit more of it. You know how to do it and you don’t need any training courses to teach you. Save some time, money and effort and start to consider what and who makes you laugh and get access to more of it. Laughter breaks the stress cycle when you don’t have time for mindfulness or yoga and can be a great short-term management of feeling anxious and provides a great sense of perspective. Laughter also improves wellbeing through a reminder of the joys in life, experiencing positive emotions and improving relationships. Be kind and generous with your laughter and it will serve you well. And you can trust us, we know our stuff.
Jane and Anna