Skip to content

Wellness in the workplace

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s chairman, the fastest growing disability claim in the Canadian workplace is mental illness.
RichardsHarleyMugMay23jer
Array

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s chairman, the fastest growing disability claim in the Canadian workplace is mental illness.

Absenteeism and lost productivity are on the rise and it’s being related back to mental health disorders.

Canada is the first country in the world to launch a voluntary standard that allows employers to promote prevention of mental health problems to their employees through audits.

But is the implementation of audits to determine what stress is being put on an employee only a matter of assessing and not actually addressing the issue?

First things first I suppose. And while there are more severe psychological disorders that require special attention, isn’t there room to act on some of the precursor symptoms with nutrition?

Stress, burnout, anxiety, no passion, poor memory, irritability or stagnation — how does an employer find the balance of challenging, but not overworking an employee, keeping him or her engaged but not over-stressed?

And even more importantly, how does an employer encourage the employee to take necessary steps in caring for themselves?

Food is often overlooked when it comes to matters of stress and the mind, but the Mental Health Foundation in the U.K. has some excellent tables on the correlation between mood and food. Link to the site is posted at www.somethingtochewon.ca.

From folic acid found in bok choy, broccoli, avocados and salmon, which may help with symptoms of anxiety, to lentils and sunflower seeds containing vitamin B1, which may assist with poor concentration and attentiveness, the list goes on.

Your brain requires the proper nutrients to function, just like every other organ in your body.

Companies like Google are certainly on board with the understanding that nutrition improves performance by providing their employees with complimentary fresh juices, and wholesome food.

More tips and suggestions to maintain mental wellness in the workplace are eating regularly throughout the day and include antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables and minimizing the sugary and highly caffeinated drinks.

Taking a break, spending time outside of work doing things you enjoy and of course, staying active. Attending a class on meditation or yoga could also pave the way for some peace of mind.

Sometimes taking care of yourself gets put aside due to lack of time, but if it’s not made a priority it’s easy to soon see the implications of the neglect you have put on yourself.

Drinking in excess or the consumption of cigarettes or drugs may feel like a good coping mechanism at the time.

But rather than solve any problems, they are actually more likely creating them.

Don’t be afraid to regularly reflect on your own choices and look for ways of improvement in your own life.

Not just to improve your productivity at work, but also to improve your overall enjoyment of your job and your days or nights spent at your place of employment.


Brain Boosting Smoothie

½ cup chopped frozen banana

½ cup blueberries

½ cup spinach

1 scoop vanilla hemp or rice protein powder

1 ½ cups almond milk

Blend in blender/bitamix.

Kristin Fraser, BSc, is a holistic nutritionist and local freelance writer. Her column appears every second Thursday. She can be reached at kristin@somethingtochewon.ca.