It’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and Mixing Board community members work in some of the most high-stress corporate and consulting roles out there. We asked them how they are taking care of their own mental health and/or the mental health of their teams...
Be Intentional
Cath Anderson (SVP of Comms at Cityblock Health)
Since mental health has not always been considered part of broader well-being (it’s getting better, but we have a ways to go), I see this as something that we have to over index on and be intentional with our actions and how we message in the workplace. I purposely weave it into conversations organically, sharing my own personal experience with postpartum anxiety. I make it abundantly clear that on the comms team you can take time off to attend to mental health, just as you would a doctor’s appointment. You never have to explain yourself; just let us know when you’re offline, so we can cover you. Personally, I also try to take calls while on a walk, sit and work from outside, spend time away from screens and with my kids. We live in an “always on” culture where remote work may bring schedule flexibility, but often means that you never get a commute to and from work to debrief/unwind. Nothing like nature or a good dose of toddler slobber to bring perspective!
Signaling by Example
Erika Gudmundson (founder of Good Comms and communications strategist)
I made the personal choice to block my weekly therapy session on my calendar (visibly and explicitly instead of “Personal”) and politely (and within reason) refuse to reschedule it. I want those I work with, especially junior staff who work themselves to the bone, to know it’s okay to be proactive and prioritize the steps necessary to take care of themselves. Another senior leader does this with early morning or evening gym class so non-working-hour calls do not typically interfere with her form of self/mental care. Of course no one should have to feel they need to do the same. I purposefully didn’t announce this or make it a policy but think simple modeling behavior on a topic many are hesitant to admit or talk about is impactful, especially from leaders who many look to as examples.
Setting Boundaries
Tori Barnes (VP, Global Comms & Corporate Marketing at Headspace Health)
I’m fortunate to work at an organization where mental health is in our DNA. We take an inside-out approach at Headspace, supporting our teams before we support others. “You can’t pour from an empty cup” and “Put on your oxygen mask before helping others,” are common phrases here, supported by a variety of great initiatives like MINDays (every other Friday off), daily meditations, and free mental health coaching and therapy.
But of course, benefits and perks alone don’t solve everything - particularly if you’re not communicating openly about mental health! Leaders have such an important role to play here in modeling proactive mental health support, whether it’s blocking time for a therapy appointment or family time, being truly “off” when you’re off, or taking a mental health day when it’s needed and being open about it.
I’m also a big believer in the role that clear boundaries can play in alleviating stress and anxiety in the workplace, and in particular, among Comms teams. We’re our own worst enemies sometimes! One exercise that we’ve adopted to help inform and set those boundaries is to visually map out how we spend our time on a quarterly basis in a pie chart (unsurprisingly, it’s almost always between 50-75% reactive!). Simply conducting this exercise is helpful, but more importantly, sharing this data with teams that we work with across the business has been critical to improving the way we communicate and collaborate. When other teams across the business understand the demands placed on us as communicators, the more likely they are to approach us with a solutions-oriented mindset. This also sets us up to have great conversations around how we can best collaborate moving forward and what we want to collectively prioritize.
Go Outside
Camille Ricketts (Notion’s first Head of Marketing — currently on sabbatical)
The team at Notion grew fast during the heart of the pandemic. I remember the importance of actually blocking out time in the calendar for movement outdoors. It can be so easy for this to fall by the wayside, but the impact it has on wellbeing is truly miraculous.
A Holistic Organizational Approach
Britt Geldmacher (SVP of global comms and corporate brand at Scopely)
My organization, Scopely, provides several interesting things, including:
Global “free days” for the entire organization to take the same days away to recharge (this concept aims to support no meetings, less/no email traffic and less/no deadlines on specific days so everyone can take a break, collectively)
Employee access to third-party mental health platforms such as Ginger and Oliva
Listening sessions on an ad hoc basis to hear from employees on important topics that need space and energy
An Employee Resource Group (ERG) focused solely on mental health - called “Mind Matters” (launched in 2021)
Led by volunteer employees, the Mind Matters group is dedicated to three core pillars: 1) awareness - creating an atmosphere of mental health understanding and normalization through increased education, 2) support - building a safe space where employees can find and give support and solutions, and 3) inclusion - providing tools and hearing the voices of employees in all locations around the world.
They share tips and tricks, educational articles, meditation apps, personal stories, current events (such as the cast of Ted Lasso’s visit to the White House in support of mental health), and more.
The group also invited an awesome speaker to our annual Global Inclusion Week last year - Josh Connolly - “one of the UKs most influential” resilience coaches. Josh received a fantastic response from our employees, both those part of the Mind Matters ERG and beyond, and I definitely recommend him for other organizations to pursue as a speaker.
A Simple Question (and an App)
Tom Raith (brand marketing and communications leader)
As simple as it sounds, I start every 1:1 with the question, “How are you doing?” And then just wait. The responses are always revealing and often times profound.
For my own mental health, I use the Waking Up app from Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author. It provides the fundamentals of mindfulness and guided meditations and is the most intellectually challenging app on the topic I’ve come across.
The Role of Communicators
Cassi Gritzmacher (comms & social impact consultant)
We play a powerful role as communicators in bringing the temperature down in stressful environments and situations. I believe this is one of the most important contributions we can make to reducing the overall sense of anxiety, overwork, and burnout that ultimately leads to mental health crises down the line: Recognizing that not every issue needs to be handled like a 5-fire alarm.
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