Mental Health

Description

On Tuesday July 21, 2021, Simone Biles of the USA Women’s Gymnastics team pulled out of team competition during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics citing concerns about her mental health. In later interviews, Biles admitted that she had struggled with the demands of being one of the most famous athletes in the world, the unique pressure of the Tokyo games, and the added challenge of being stuck in a Covid bubble (Ingle, 2021).

While we may never face the same stressors as Biles and other athletes, we do face certain stressors in our personal and professional lives that may challenge our mental health. It’s important as an organization that we start to or better understand mental health, including possible warning signs of mental illness, myths around mental health, and how we as employees – and managers – can create an environment where discussion around mental health is welcomed, instead of ignored.

Resources

• https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health

• https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/mental-health-myths-facts

• https://hbr.org/2018/11/we-need-to-talk-more-about-mental-health-at-work

• https://hbr.org/2020/09/make-mental-health-your-1-priority

• https://hbr.org/2020/08/8-ways-managers-can-support-employees-mental-health