For Mental Health Awareness Week Psychological Safety Specialist, Mindset Advantage Practitioner and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trainer, Andy Elwood suggests some actions dental team members can take to preserve their own mental health.
As someone who has trained hundreds of dental team members in MHFA I’m acutely aware of the stresses they face. Patient expectations, regulatory demands and the emotional burden that caring for others brings start to take their toll when experienced over a long period of time.
The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week takes us beyond awareness and focuses on what actions we can take to safeguard our mental wellbeing.
Statistics show that 1 in 4 of us will experience mental ill health. Reframing that means that most of us are well most of the time. Just like our physical health, our mental health fluctuates sometimes. There have been several studies that show there are simple, everyday behaviours that protect our mental health and give us more resilience when work or life feels tough.
What keeps us well
Back in 2008, the NHS published research that fed into its 5 Steps to Wellbeing. These highlight the actions that support good mental health. They are:
- Connect with others
- Be active in ways that suit you
- Take notice of what’s happening around you
- Keep learning
- Give, whether that’s time, support or kindness.
However, research done more recently has shown that there are three additional pillars to wellbeing and these are especially relevant to people working in dentistry. They are:
- Sleep
- Nutrition
- Gratitude.
When our physical health dips, our mental health often follows. That’s why it’s so important to look after these additional basics to protect our wellbeing.
Alongside getting the basics right, there are some simple in-the-moment stress reducers that many people find helpful. These include talking to someone who truly listens. Sometimes, being able to get things off your chest can be a big help and may be all we need to feel better sometimes.
Gentle movement or exercise can go a long way to making us feel better as can mindfulness or relaxation techniques. Of course, prioritising rest and sleep are two especially important things to remember when we’re feeling stressed as they can often be adversely affected.
Notice the early warning signs in yourself and others
Poor mental health can be something that creeps up on us and catches us unawares. Others might notice the changes in us before we do ourselves, and vice versa.
Things to look out for are; increased irritability or mood swings, withdrawing from colleagues, more or uncharacteristic mistakes being made, poor concentration or increased sickness absence.
Stressed people may swear more than usual or you may notice more negative self-talk or language like ‘always’ and ‘never’ being used. “Why does this always happen to me?” “I never get anything right.” They may also show little pleasure in things they used to enjoy. These are the tell-tale signs that someone may be struggling with their mental health and might need some help.
It’s important to remember that mental health is about how we think, feel and behave, so noticing changes across all three is key. Spotting these signs early allows us to take action before things escalate.
If you’re struggling, focus on three things
When you start to recognise these signs in yourself, there are three practical steps that you can take that make a real difference.
- Build self-awareness
Increase your self-awareness and get to know what helps you and what you find difficult. Certain times of the year, such as the winter months, or types of pressure, at work or outside, may be things you can predict will be difficult. Planning for them, rather than pushing through, can reduce their impact.
It’s useful to identify your own stress signature or early warning signs so you can recognise when you need to take preventative action. It also helps to have more than one coping strategy. For example, if exercise usually works but isn’t possible because you’re injured, what’s your plan B?
- Talk it through
Being able to offload reduces stress. Whether it’s a trusted colleague, friend, family member, a Mental Health First Aider® in your team or a confidential service, connection matters. This is also about building support networks so that you’re not having to rely on just one person all the time. As with your coping strategy, it’s good to have a Plan B when it comes to having someone to offload to.
For dental professionals, services like Confidental (0333 987 5158) Samaritans (116 123) and Shout (text 85258) are there to listen, without judgement and can serve as a backup.
If you don’t want to talk to someone, not everyone feels able to, then journalling can be just as effective as talking for some people.
What works will vary from person to person so experiment with things while you’re feeling well and find out what works for you.
- Be your own best friend
We’re not always kind to ourselves. Notice how you speak to yourself. Many of us are far harsher internally than we would ever be with a colleague or patient. Recognise that thoughts are just thoughts, not facts. If you’re living with anxiety, it can be easy to overthink things. So, take a step back from your thoughts, and try not to believe everything you think.
It’s also okay to say no and make a choice for you. Take breaks and, cliched as it sounds, put your own oxygen mask on first.
Supporting colleagues: listen, don’t fix
If you’re worried about someone else in the practice, the most helpful action is not to rush in but to pause. Choose the right time and place, without any distractions and begin with an open question. In these circumstances, listening, really listening, usually matters more than solutions. Remembering we have two ears, one mouth. If we use them in that proportion, we’ll usually do a good job of listening and supporting someone.
Don’t try to offer solutions. Phrases like “That sounds really tough” or “It’s okay to feel like this” go a long way. You don’t need to fix the problem; being heard and understood is often enough to help someone regain their footing. Signposting to additional support such as mental health first aiders® or employee assistance programmes if you have them can be a good next step if needed, or possibly their GP.
Mental health isn’t about having a permanent solution or never having a bad day. That’s unrealistic. It’s about noticing change early, taking small protective actions and remembering that none of us have to manage alone and making sure we’re attending to the five plus three pillars of wellbeing. Sometimes, the basics really do make all the difference.
You can find a number of free resources to download, including ones about mental health, suicide prevention and how to support someone with thoughts of suicide on Andy Elwood’s website.
About Andy
Andy is a Psychological Safety Specialist, Mindset Advantage Practitioner, Mental Health First Aid instructor and an ambassador for Movember.
Andy considers his first career as a Winch-Paramedic (dope-on-a-rope) as the “best job in the world!” During Andy’s 20-year career in Emergency Services, he has a Lifesaver of the Year award, Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in the Air & has served on the frontlines of Afghanistan on the RAF battlefield rescue helicopter. He was a trainer in the RAF & Coastguard and is now fulfilling a lifelong ambition by running his own training consultancy business helping you to unlock Potential, Resilience & Performance.
Andy’s warm, engaging approach means his training is consistently rated 10/10 by 98% of learners!
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