In light of recent events, it’s important to reflect on how you prioritize your mental health, how you talk about it with your supervisors and how supervisors can  support the mental health of their teams. Emphasize rest and recognition, learn about your self-care preferences and learn how to utilize the resources available to you.

Make sure you’re aware of this list of support resources available to MSU employees to help move through this moment:

• Campus Safety Information
• Supportive Resources for Students, Faculty, and Staff
• Crisis Resources for Employees
• Resources for Teaching After Crisis
• 6-Step Approach to Starting Class
• Supervisor Toolkit: Transition to Standard Operations

Why We Prioritize

Mental health should be treated and discussed the same as physical health because they are often connected but rarely given equal priority. To break that cycle, make it a part of your everyday habits and conversations.

Other reasons to prioritize mental health include:

• Having a demanding job makes it easy to put work over mental and physical health, but it is not worth it in the long run as this can lead to burnout.
• In a time of mostly online interactions, some of the natural in-person social interactions that are missing can inadvertently lower well-being.
• Therapy is still stigmatized, and seeking out expert help for your mental health helps release that thinking.

Self-Care Ideas

Becoming burnt out at work is easier than you might think, and the best way to heal from or prevent burnout is to form healthy self-care habits. Engaging in self-care in the simplest terms is making sure that as you prioritize work, you also prioritize adequate sleep, nutrition, meaningful connection, and exercise. Other suggestions for self-care include:

• Unplug when social media and news get overwhelming.
• Treat yourself with compassion no matter how you respond to burnout.
• Enjoy the little things like a walk outside or some cuddles with your pet. 
• If you’re on campus and looking for a nice spot to rest, check out this incredible Campus Meditation Map created by Beal Scholar student Anhad Viswanath.
• Close your laptop at the end of the workday and do your best not to open it again until the morning.
• Seek out help from an expert rather than solely relying on yourself or your team for mental health related answers.

Start the Conversation with Your Team

You don’t have to be the supervisor on your team to start a discussion around mental health. Use empathy to address situations regarding mental health and give your coworkers space to speak openly about their experience. If you aren’t sure how to start the conversation, use the MSU resources linked below and ease into it.

If you are a supervisor, here are four ways you can show appreciation for your team in support of their mental well-being:

1. Show sincere interest in the needs, hopes, and dreams of other people.
2. Watch for signs of burnout in yourself and others and consider registering for the WorkLife Office training How to Recognize and Minimize Burnout.
3. Demonstrate a willingness to help others and refer to appropriate resources.
4. Lead with compassion to contribute to a welcoming and inclusive workplace culture.

MSU recognizes the value of its employees and to show appreciation for the important work we all do, several departments, including the WorkLife Office, provide a variety of resources to support our well-being: 

• Mental Health at Work Guide
• Campus Meditation Map
• Employee Assistance Program
• The Power of Affirmations – An Antidote to Imposter Syndrome and Burnout
• SourceLive Article on Burnout