This Mental Health Awareness Week, we interviewed some of our team asking them to share their thoughts on taking care of their mental health, what more employers can do to support their employee's mental health and some ways in which they can encourage staff to walk more and sit less.
The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week this year is nature. Research on the mental health impacts of the pandemic showed going for walks outside was one of our top coping strategies and 45% of us reported being in green spaces had been vital for our mental health.
We asked #TeamEames: Why is good mental health important to you?
"It is important to me because I want to be as happy & healthy as I can be!" - Jessica Hartley, UK
"Looking after your mental health is so important, how we feel impacts every aspect of our lives so we need to try and find the time to ensure we take care of ourselves, both physically and mentally." - Lauren Seal, UK
"Because it underpins everything in your life, both at work and at home, it impacts how you make decisions, deal with stress, interact with people and are able to enjoy the better things in life." - Richard Williams, UK
"Good mental health helps you enjoy life and cope with problems. It offers a feeling of well-being and inner strength. Just as you take care of your body by eating a balanced diet and exercising, you can do things to protect your mental health. In fact, eating right and exercising can help maintain good mental health." - Matthew Eames
"For me, it goes hand in hand with physical health, the better my mental health the better my physical health is likely to be!" - Sophie Daniel, UK
"It’s important to look after ourselves mentally as well as physically. We can often work very hard to be successful (sometimes at the costs of our health), but what is the point if you’re not going to be around in the long term to benefit from your success, or to appreciate your success. Personally, I also have a young daughter, and I can only look after her properly if I look after myself." - Daniel Navazesh, UK
"Because life is for living – it’s not a dress rehearsal so let’s live life to its fullest, and that’s only really possible if you’re in a good place mental health-wise." - Ruth Foster
"Mental health is important for lots of reasons; I am a firm believer that your mental health plays a huge part in your physical health so it is essential to maintain them both. I also feel that in the role that we do, we share a lot of the emotional burden of our candidates and clients – it’s important to be able to sustain both. It is something that is often overlooked and put second when the reality is that it ought not to be." - Abigail Moss, UK
"Mental health is important to me because being in a healthy, good mental state affects so many aspects of my life (and the people around you). It’s something I am always trying to stay on top of!" - Rafaela Fakhre, UK
"It's important at every stage of life, it affects how we think, feel and deal with our emotions as well as our day to day life." - Arlene Cooper, UK
"It keeps you focused, motivated and balanced. Keeps the demons at bay as some would say!" - Glen Roberts, UK
"Having good mental health allows me to be the best version of myself professionally and personally and to have the resilience to cope with problems." - Abigail Lee, UK
"I have suffered from bad mental health in the past as many people have and it can take away the vibrancy of living. Good mental health is important for an appreciation of the life you have." - Matthew Jones, Asia