How can Women advocate for their own mental health at work?
Mental health is the top priority for everyone but Women face specific challenges when coming to work like pay inequity, promotion differences, handling both personal chores and professional work at a time, hormonal changes, stereotypes, prescriptive bias, and many more. Each event has a specific impact on their health and well-being.
Though many organizations have taken steps to promote the overall well-being of their employees, talking about mental health is a little underrated in many institutions and many times it is not taken seriously when it comes to organizational aspects.
Though awareness has been created in society, about how a crying child receives milk, likewise being a woman you should stand up for yourself.
Here are the few important things you should think and consider when you are going for Self-advocacy:
Reflection and Self-awareness:
When you plan to advocate for your mental health, at the very first point, you should know about yourself. The following questions help you
- Think about your current state, like are you frustrated? Anxious? Burnout? Exhausted?
- Explore the challenges and factors that affect your mental health
- Is this happening for a short period of time or it is a chronic or it is one-time event?
- Whether it is work-related or related to your personal life?
- Do you feel any gender-specific discrimination or prescriptive bias?
- Are these challenges affecting your performance at work?
Find the answers to all the above questions without having any judgments. Just be realistic and explore the things that you have expected, like whether the needed effects disturb the people around you or it is a needed thing for everyone. Likewise, focus on yourself without being selfish, and start exploring the consequences.
Have a discussion with your loved ones or family members:
After reflecting on your needs, wants, thoughts, and how you feel, talk to your loved ones or family members or to your therapist about your concerns and brainstorm the potential things that you could make at work to support yourself. Actively listen to what your supporters think about your steps and focus on their perspective too.
Education and awareness:
Educate yourself about the things that you are suffering or the things that are challenges to you. Eg, if you feel anxious frequently, find out the steps taken to relieve the anxiety. Likewise, educate yourself. Education brings awareness, assists you in making the right decisions, and helps you to identify what you need at that particular moment.
Find safe spaces and associates:
Next thing after detailing yourself, you have to find your associates or the right person to create a space where you can discuss your current status and decisions. Indeed, it is critical to find the space to tell your story and get support from allies when you go for self-advocacy. A person who is already talking about mental health importance preferably a female and who is emotionally intelligent is the perfect choice to talk about your mental health challenge. Or a man who gives importance to her partner’s mental health is the right person to you whom you can disclose your challenges.
Talk to your Superior:
After analyzing the factors, facts, and required measures, this is the best time you can talk to your manager or HR. Remember, whenever you plan to talk, you should not be too passive, because people on the opposite can easily leave your suffering or they will convince you that it is part of the working life. Similarly, you should not be aggressive or trigger the opponents like “This creates a problem for me, I can’t do hereafter”. No!! you should not talk like this, again it makes the opponent not consider your problems or challenges.
Practice Assertiveness, it is the best way to convince people on the opposite side with mutual respect.
Very importantly, when you do self-advocacy to your boss or managers, go with “Solutions that include strategies to conquer the effects”.
Remember, People need solutions!! When you have that, you are insurmountable.
Read also: How to convince others
Finally,
Not every place, you can have the space to talk about your own mental health challenges and steps to restore energy. There may be some restrictions and limitations, but sometimes “Quitting” is the right choice when your job is hurting your mental health. But prior to that, explore deeply about yourself, your current status, and your company’s culture like whether they are committed to
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,
- Do they have new ways to promote work-life balance?
- Do they have women in leadership positions?
- Are they open to feedback and change?
Don’t forget,
“You are responsible for yourself, to love yourself, to care for yourself, and to help yourself”
Photo Credits: Unsplash
Moods and emotions play a powerful role in every area of the workplace. Handling moods and emotions particularly negative emotions at work are considered and seen as a measure of Professionalism.
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