5 Strategies to help you avoid bigger issues

Mental health can affect everyone: employers, employees, families and colleagues – making it everyone’s business. Many FIFO workers are faced with high levels of job stress and competition. In fact, around 50% of Western Australians experience mental health issues at least once in their lifetime.

Some common signs of adverse mental health are emotional outbursts, sleep problems, being quiet and withdrawn, anxiety or depression, and drinking too much. If you or your partner are experiencing any of these behaviours then it’s up to you to work together to make sure you’re doing everything you can to achieve a happy work-life balance. With the right level of support and some easy strategies (see below), anyone can keep their mental wellbeing in check.

Good mental health is having a sense of wellbeing, confidence, and self-esteem. When you’re mentally healthy, you can form positive relationships, reach your personal goals and build resilience to deal with life’s challenges. Some factors which contribute to adverse mental health conditions include working long hours or overtime, intense time pressure, or trying to reach unrealistic targets.

IT’S OK! If you or your partner is experiencing some of these signs, here are some quick strategies to make sure you’re keeping your wellbeing in check:

1. It’s All About Balance

Keep your work and your home life separate: avoid bringing work home when you can. Try not to check your emails or worry about what needs to be done at work during your personal time. Even leaving the office during lunch hour can help you have balance in your life.

2. Treat Yourself

Reward yourself with some enjoyable activities when you’re not working. Don’t give in to the temptation to spend your whole weekend on the couch – get up and engage in the community, some exercise, or a hobby. Have a to-do list you can look forward to outside your work times.

3. Speak Up

Don’t be scared to speak up if you know you will not be able to reach a specific target or deadline. Be willing to say no when requests are unreasonable. It is important to raise these issues at early stages, so that you can work together with your supervisor to set a more appropriate deadline, or perhaps share the workload with your co-workers.

4. Organise

Stay organised – make sure you know what you have to do and when you have to do it by. It sounds obvious, but many people leave things to the last minute and then get overwhelmed or miss a deadline. Being organised can also help you with keeping your work and home time separate.

5. Know Yourself

If you start to feel overwhelmed – take some personal time. Speak to someone you trust – your partner, a co-worker, or even your supervisor. Support is often one of the most helpful things when mental issues arise. Most importantly, don’t let it get the best of you!