Words by Emma Fullerton-Frost, Fundraising & Communications Officer at Mind Mid Herts.

The pandemic and its effect on our health

The pandemic and its impacts on our mental, and physical, wellbeing has certainly brought mental health into the spotlight in recent years. World Mental Health Day 2022 is therefore a fantastic opportunity to continue to have important conversations to help further reduce the stigma and ensure everyone is able to get the support they deserve.

One aspect of life that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic is our working life – many people have had to adjust to remote working, or experienced extreme disruption and anxiety due to unexpected job losses. 

More people are taking sick days for mental health

According to research conducted by Mind over 1 in 5 people have called in sick to avoid work when asked how workplace stress affected them, and 42% had considered resigning. Importantly, 56% of employers also said they wanted to do more to improve staff wellbeing, but did not feel they had the right training or guidance. In 2016, there were over 15 million sick days taken as a result of mental health, and even more concerning is that on average 300,000 people with a long-term mental health problem lose their jobs each year.

In 2016, there were over 15 million sick days taken as a result of mental health, and even more concerning is that on average 300,000 people with a long-term mental health problem lose their jobs each year.

Mind’s focus for World Mental Health Day

To mark this day here at Mind in Mid Herts we’ve been sharing Matt’s story, one of our Project Officers working in St Albans, he tells us what he enjoys most about his job and how you can get involved on World Mental Health Day and beyond to support local mental health services. 

If you feel you could benefit from improving your wellbeing at work, our free online ‘Staying Well at Work’ Course, starting on the 3rd of November, aims to support participants with building their resilience and gaining an understanding of what impacts their wellbeing at work. 

Visit the Mind in Mid Herts website to sign up today