Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace. Gill Hasson

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СКАЧАТЬ being easily startled

       Inability to rest or relax

       Impulsive behaviour

       Panic attacks.

Life Changes and the Impact on Mental Health and Wellbeing

Our mental health and wellbeing can change not just from day to day, month to month, and year to year, but at key stages and changes in our lives. Childhood, adolescence, going into further or higher education, starting work, being in a relationship, becoming a parent, midlife, retirement etc. all have particular relevance and can impact on our wellbeing and mental health. Here we describe how some key life stages can adversely impact on mental health and we list common emotional and behavioural responses.

      Menstruation and Mental Health

      With menstruation comes hormonal changes that can cause emotional and physical symptoms each month. For some women these symptoms are mild and for others, distressing and difficult to manage.

       Emotional responses:

       Mood swings, irritability, anxiety, frustration, anger

       Depression, sadness, crying

       Low confidence and self-esteem.

       How you might behave:

       Inability to focus and concentrate or achieve as much as usual

       Withdrawing from groups and social activities

       Being irrational and impulsive

       Abandoning normal physical activity

       Greater inclination to conflict with others; easily offended.

‘Periods can be a problem for female tennis players. I often lose if I'm on my period. I suffer when I have it. I always have one bad day when I'm tired, I have no energy and all I want is sugar. Playing at Wimbledon, with its all-white dress code, makes things even more difficult. You're in short skirts and tiny shorts. It's the worst thing – and so distracting.’

       Heather Watson. Tennis player

      Menopause and Mental Health

      When a woman experiences menopause, her ovaries stop producing the hormones – oestrogen and progesterone – that contribute to the reproductive system's normal cycle. This can result in distressing and uncomfortable physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms. (Some individuals who have transitioned from female to male may still have their ovaries, and so may also experience menopausal symptoms.)

      Some women see menopause as a positive experience, no longer having to be concerned about periods or pregnancy, and see middle age as a time to think of themselves rather than dependents. But for others, menopause can be felt as a loss; a woman may feel that a part of their life is over; that she doesn't compare so well with younger family members and colleagues.

       Emotional responses:

       Mood swings – anger, sadness, irritability

       Anxiety, depression

       Low self-esteem/confidence

       Feelings of hopelessness

       Nervousness

       Panic/feeling trapped

       Loss of identity – ‘I don't know who I am any more’

       Suicidal thoughts/feelings

       How you might behave:

       Inability to concentrate at work

       Feeling confused and unable to prioritize

       Lack of interest in usual social activities

       Being argumentative and irritable, less patient with self and others

       Memory lapses in conversation with others

       Eating more – comfort eating

      Male Midlife and Mental Health

      People joke about the male ‘mid-life crisis’ and of men they know who have left their partners for someone much younger than themselves, or bought themselves a motorbike or a sports car. For some men, middle age makes them acutely aware that part of their life is over; they may feel they don't compare so well with younger family members and colleagues. They may either attempt to regain their youth or sink into a depression.

Although, as with any life stage, there are positive aspects to middle age, men too struggle, just as women do, with changes and challenges in life; mental health statistics and suicide rates for men certainly reflect this. (And some individuals who have transitioned from male to female may still experience difficulties specific to their gender identity, or original birth identity.)

      You spend the first 20 years of your life running, running, running. You reach a point where you question if you can keep running like this for another 20 years.

       Paolo Gallo

       Emotional responses:

       Depression and anxiety

       Negativity, pessimism, and hopelessness

       Irritability

       Sadness for life that has passed

       A sense of needing to cram more into life – time is running out

       Suicidal thoughts/feelings.

       How you might behave:

       Becoming withdrawn from friends and family

       May want to leave everything – partner, job, family, country, without thinking through the consequences

       Disengagement from work

       Spending more time at work as a displaced behaviour/anxiously avoiding relationships

       Becoming more selfish and self-centred

       Becoming more erratic and unable to think clearly

       Increased alcohol or recreational drug intake

       Eating more/less.

Grief and Mental Health

Grief СКАЧАТЬ