Mental health in the workplace is becoming more recognised as a part of organisations responsibility towards the Health and Safety of their employees. New initiatives are been put in place such as mental health first aid at work and mental health awareness days. These solutions are something that every business should be looking at to do their part of employees wellbeing. However, being able to talk about these issues as a recipient or facilitator requires a degree of self-awareness.
Self-awareness refers to the ability to recognise a choice in your behaviours and actions, as well as a recognition for what drives them. When it comes to talking about mental health and where someone might be struggling emotionally, it is essential to have a common language that they can understand and refer to when exploring their emotions and communicating the issues. When you work with horses this language is displayed in body language; action vs reaction. It gives a clear result of behaviour that can then be explored and allow the recipient to talk about what they are feeling, what spurred their behaviour and action. This opens the door to a much deeper conversation about their current emotional state and what roadblocks are in the way to their confidence and happiness.
Horses are a herd animal and are very strongly aware of the energy, intentions and non-verbal communication of others, to which they respond honestly, at the moment, providing a non-judgmental reflection of how we are behaving or feeling. They offer an opportunity to explore their emotions and drivers and experiment with how to manage them effectively as they arise. The first step is talking about your emotional wellbeing, and the next is finding coping mechanisms that practically work. Where else could you try it out in a safe environment and see the active results with feeling anxious about work colleagues?
Harness change in your mental health at work.