May 13th - 19th is Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK and the focus on this year's event is Body Image. Body image is how a person thinks and feels about their body and is often linked to Eating Disorders, as well as other Mental Health Issues.
What body image issues do people face?
We tend to associate body issues and eating disorders with images of anorexic teens or grossly-overweight binge eaters. However as much as these are serious problems, body image issues affect people everywhere and anywhere between these two ends of the scale. And what makes it worse, is that as with most MH problems, it is often impossible to spot.
The Gym Guy and Office Tart.
It is easy to jump to conclusions and misconceptions when we see people.
There's that guy in the gym, he's there everyday and always looking in the mirror. Really loves himself.
And then there's the busty girl in the office. Always wearing tight tops, she loves the blokes ogling her and being the centre of attention.
Both of them love themselves, love how they look.
But do they?
Would we ever think there was anything else to the story? Probably not. But lets imagine.
The guy in the gym. The one looking at himself, admiring himself. Only he's not admiring himself. He is looking at himself and hating what he sees. He pushes himself to physical exhaustion daily to make sure he never gets ridiculed about his body shape or size again. The dedication he puts in to his training and eating, in a bid to have an ounce of self-appreciation.
Then there is the girl in the office. Always wearing tight tops. Loves showing her chest off to the blokes and hearing their suggestive comments. She loves the attention. But she doesn't. The tops are tight because they are the only clothes which fit her frame. She can't wear the clothes she would like to. She dreads walking through the office, knowing there are people in there, ogling and letching over her and making vile comments. She would do anything not to have that attention on her, she isn't a tart, she's never even had a partner because she is so self-conscious about her body.
Things aren't always as they seem. These examples are minority cases, but they are sometimes the case, regardless of how uncommon.
We can't help with something we don't know about!
Body image issues and Eating Disorders are often "invisible" and people usually avoid talking about them, so if we can't see anything wrong and they don't tell us there's something wrong, then how can we help? An important step is creating a culture of understanding, acceptance and encouragement in the workplace. We spend a huge amount of our time at work and often see work colleagues more than we see our own families, so we can make a huge difference to someone's life by making an effort to understand and show awareness. There are also serious cost-implications when thinking about Mental Health in the workplace. It has been reported that stigma around mental health struggles and burnout is costing the UK economy £1.4 billion a year through unexplained mental health days. Worryingly, the research found that 40% of employees stated they are uncomfortable telling their managers they need to take days off for mental health reasons.
By creating an environment which focus on well-being in the workplace, we can start to reduce the amount of money lost due to unexplained Mental Health absences, but more importantly, we can help to alleviate some of the pain and anguish people at work are suffering. Knowing they can talk to someone, be supported and not be judged can make a huge difference to a person's health and in extreme situations, can even save a life.
End the stigma
It is vital that awareness and education regarding Mental Health Issues continues and we continue to address problems before they arise. Having a whole-company approach to driving the promotion of well-being and positive mental health can slowly start to eradicate some of the unnecessary suffering which occurs on a daily basis, all around the world.
Staff training
We currently have fully-funded, nationally-recognised Level 2 training courses in Awareness of Mental Health Problems. This course is suitable for all staff and all working environments and looks at issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, eating disorders and much more.
The training is free and flexible, distance learning which lasts 12 weeks and is accredited by CACHE, meaning a Level 2 certificate is gained upon completion
. By increasing understanding and awareness of a range of Mental Health problems, staff will be better equipped to support and promote Mental Health well-being in the workplace.
Please email stuart@jptrainingsolutions.co.uk or visit the website for more information on how to get your company registered for free training now.
Funding rules vary depending on location, so minimum group sizes and eligibility criteria may apply - please feel free to contact me to discuss funding options!
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