How to communicate mental health as a priority at work

Mental health isn’t something that’s happening to someone else. It’s impacts everyone—you, your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. In fact, according to SHRM, one in five American adults experience a mental illness and nearly half report being burned out or exhausted.

In my circle, an extended family member died by suicide right before Easter. Two friends are going through divorces; one is suffering from depression. Another’s teen son is cutting and had to stay in a residential treatment facility

After these past few years with the ongoing pandemic, political polarization and social justice, the war in Ukraine, sky-high housing prices, inflation, job stressors—and the list goes on— every person’s mental health has been affected in some way. Whether it’s a diagnosed mental health challenge or the “languishing” blahs that Adam Grant describes, mental health is a life-long journey and looks different for everyone.