Poor mental health is one of the biggest killers amongst men and tradesmen in particular in the UK. As I have said to a previous article (click here to read it) tradesmen have 1.6 more chances to die from suicide than the Uk’s national average amongst men accounting for almost 2 every single day.
I know, the number above doesn’t look very encouraging but we are getting better. More and more campaigns starting to promote positive mental health within the trades and construction industry, and we are slowly breaking the stigma and taboo around mental health.
In this article I would like to offer you some tips on how you can start working on your mental health. Of course, a few lines only won’t magically change your life but it is a very good place to start.
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Education and awareness
Larger employers need to actively promote mental health awareness, offer resources and training on mental health issues, stress management, and coping strategies.
If you run a small company and for different reasons can’t offer this kind of facilities or you are a one-man’s band, there are plenty of free resources on YouTube that you can watch in the evening at home or with your apprentice over your lunch break.
You can of course use my articles here or my YouTube channel where I talk about all of those things. If you prefer audio only you can check me out on Spotify and Apple podcast. -
Access to support services
Larger companies need to offer access to mental health resources such as counselling services. As a smaller employer you can educate yourself (see above) on how to approach mental health issues with your lads. Attitudes of just keep grafting, be a man or don’t think about it will only make things worse. Promoting a mindset of openness and support it will encourage your employees to talk when they go through a tough time and in the long run it will even make them more productive. It’s a win-win situation.
You can check our free online counselling here , here and here -
Life balance
Bad life balance is one of the things tradesmen in particular are quite guilty of. I know more than enough guys who have to work endless hours because their rates are too low or they are just workaholics. When this happens work dominates their wake hours at the expense of family and personal time.
Creating healthy life balance between work, family time, rest, gym, holidays, even planned breaks will improve your mental health and make you feel better with yourself.
I’m aware of the roadblocks sometimes many tradesmen facing on improving their business life for the above reason.
Personally, working with a coach was what changed everything. I have worked with James Dewane for a long time and if you wish you can download his free book here. -
Peer support networks
Being part of a support network will help you connect with tradesmen just like you. This can be something in your local area or an online community where you can share your struggles and pains it will have a very positive affect at your mental health. It may not necessary make your problems to go away but at the least will make you feel you are not alone and offer you a supportive space. -
Do something you love
This can be anything that is not work related. Go for walk, play some video games, read a book, call a friend. I will write more about this more another time.Do things you love as a gift to yourself!