Have you ever heard of that old saying stating that a problem shared is a problem halved? If you haven't, you should know that this aphorism goes all the way back to times when mental health was not a priority. Yet, it states a profound psychological truth.
Today, therapists worldwide agree that sharing a problem with others is vital. Discussing an issue makes people feel more confident about finding a solution. Thus, it induces a level of optimism that helps to reach a resolution.
Now, the reason why we chose this topic is because we want to raise awareness on the matter.
The number of people suffering from anxiety and depression has increased tremendously in the last decade. More precisely, 264 million people are diagnosed with depression each year. And, unfortunately, only a few get treatment for their disease.
So, there's no wonder why in 2015, the United Nations declared worldwide happiness as one of the 17 goals to be achieved. Regardless of the good intentions, just as when fighting hunger, reaching a positive state of well-being is not a walk in the park. And the biggest obstacle is the daily stress people have to deal with.
Research shows that, in America, the number one cue for stress is related to job pressure. This includes work overload, tension among co-workers, and hostility coming from their leaders. And unfortunately, the situation is not better outside the US borders.
Nowadays, many organizations offer free therapy visits for their employees as part of their benefits. Some even have in-house psychologists. We want to salute these efforts as they are amazing initiatives.
But what if, instead of treating anxiety after it occurs, leaders would focus on preventing it? What if companies would take a step forward and ask their employees how happy they are with their jobs? Would that make any difference for the overall well-being of the people working there?
Yes, it would.
Furthermore, treating people’s anxiety and depression won't automatically turn them into happy human beings. The best scenario would be helping an anxious person become an unconcerned one who simply doesn't see coming to work every day as a burden. But an unconcerned individual won't be happy with their lives and most definitely won't shine. An unconcered employee would only function for a while before they would be back to square one and in need of therapy.
With all this data in the discussion, we turn ourselves to you, the leader reading this article. We ask you to take the time and understand why your employees are feeling down. We ask you to let them share their dark thoughts with you. We ask you to be the one that halves their problems.
So, don't wait for the situation to enter a toxic loop. Anticipate the reasons that could affect your team members and help them bypass the hurdle. By doing so, you won’t only improve your company's performance, but you will also take a significant step towards achieving the worldwide happiness goal.
