Importance of supporting your own mental health when supporting others

As a manager you will know that you are required to help and support those in your team. Research shows, that helping others also improves our own wellbeing and makes us feel good. This blog explores the importance of supporting your own mental health when supporting others and how you can manage your own needs.

With 12.7% of all sickness absence days in the UK being attributed to mental health conditions, there will be times when people within your team will need more support, which can be daunting, and the pressure to help, can be harmful to your wellbeing.

How can you support you own mental health?

The importance of supporting your own mental health when supporting others is key in effective leadership. You need to be:

• an effective manager of yourself.
• able to stay focused, productive and energetic, despite the inevitable chaos and change happening around you.
• able to help your team to do the same for themselves, helping those around them and the organisation, to succeed and drive.

Leading by example

A manager with negative emotions such as fear, anger, anxiety, distress, helplessness and hopelessness will decrease their ability to solve problems and weaken their own resilience. These emotions can transfer to their team having a negative impact on them.

However, teams which have managers who can share their struggles and challenges and demonstrate openness and self-awareness, are more likely to be able to this themselves and so be more resilient.

How to manage your own needs

Consistent or long-term stress can weaken your immune system and increase your vulnerability to illness. Even if the organisation you work for is unstable, it's possible to find ways to handle the pressure and keep adapting. By showing others how a leader manages their own needs, you can provide a powerful cue about how others can and need to be encouraged to take care of themselves and one another.

What is self-care?

Self-care, in essence, revolves around nurturing yourself. It encompasses fostering a positive relationship with yourself, demonstrating self-compassion, which in turn enables individuals to embody their truest, most efficient, and admirable selves. This practice entails giving precedence to one's health and well-being, establishing boundaries, and placing oneself at the forefront of personal care. Moreover, self-care plays a pivotal role in safeguarding your mental well-being.

When your position requires you to support others at work, it is common to prioritise their mental health over your own. However, it is crucial to also prioritise your physical and mental health by ensuring an adequate amount of rest, maintaining regular meals, and engaging in activities that bring you joy or relaxation.

6 Rs of resilience

The 6 Rs of resilience can prepare you so that you are better able to adapt when faced with a difficult situation.

• Responsibility - taking responsibility for your own mental health, wellbeing and resilience.
• Reflection - reflecting on how you are, what is happening and how you are feeling about things.
• Relaxation - relaxing in a way that suits you, such as gardening, reading a book and mindfulness practice.
• Relationships - building supportive relationships with friends, family or partner.
• Refuelling - eating a healthy diet, being conscious of alcohol intake.
• Recreation - taking regular exercise and having fun.

Absorbing emotions

As a manager you should be mindful of absorbing the emotions of your team, as it can lead to a cycle of emotions and put your own mental wellbeing at risk.

Upbeat emotions such as enthusiasm and joy, as well as negative ones, are easily passed from person to person, often without realising it.

This can occur quickly. During conversation, we naturally tend to mimic the other person's facial expressions, posture, body language and speech rhythms, without being consciously aware of it. This can lead to us absorbing their emotions also. If you find yourself absorbing emotions, it may help to recognise who the emotion rightfully belongs to.

Different people find different emotions hard to manage. Someone's response to an emotion may differ depending on the circumstances and their mood at the time.

Become a mental health champion

British Red Cross Training offers a range of mental health courses for the workplace and upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a British Red Cross Mental Health Champion certificate. A mental health champion is equipped with specialised training to provide assistance and guidance to colleagues, fostering mental health awareness in the workplace. They possess the necessary skills and assurance to aid and direct employees grappling with mental health issues or stress.

Further support

If you require more support, the Mental health awareness for managers course highlights the importance of supporting your own mental health when supporting others and provides the knowledge and tools needed to recognise signs of mental health problems, support individuals, and lead a resilient team.