In these strange times with COVID-19 and the chaos it has brought to the world, a hidden part of our lives has come to light which most of us have ignored for most of our lives, MENTAL HEALTH. Mental health has been seen to be a rising issue and a direct effect of COVID-19. In the normal world, mental health is seen as a social stigma and not something to talk about.
In stark contrast to accepted beliefs, mental health is important and should a topic of discussion for all ages (i.e. from childhood to adulthood). Self awareness and communicating your problems is very important for personal development. This is particularly important for people who are in the work force who are facing difficult times with job losses and reduced work hours. For some, we do not know how to deal with these situations and hence we tend to stress, suffer depression and have anxiety issues.
In September, 2020 a workshop on Workplace Mental Health Champion was organised by the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF). Lucy Erasito and I attended the workshop. We learned about the nature and causes of stress and how we can diagnose a person who maybe under stress. The most important lesson was how we can help someone who is in stress. We also learned that self care is important and knowing our limitations. Self awareness and appreciation is very important. Following the workshop, Staff members were encouraged to share their issues and to take a break from work if they felt they need to.
Author: Manisha Nandan
September 2020