The Importance of Prioritizing Mental Health When Managing Media and Public Engagement
As an Executive Coach, I am frequently asked by my clients to share my thoughts on various topics. Today, I want to focus on the intersection of media and public engagement with mental health.
Toxic environments
I want to draw attention to the important intersection between media and public engagement, and mental health. If you are working on your situational awareness skills, you are probably keeping track of the social media accounts of the politicians you serve and their constituents. This information will help you anticipate and advise when you are called to provide an opinion.
Unfortunately, the social media world can be quite harsh these days, and I am hearing from clients that they and their staff have varying degrees of resilience when it comes to a steady diet of sometimes toxic information. The same is true for the general public - the people you encounter during public engagement events may be struggling with their circumstances and not at their best. This means that you will need to add mental health to your scanning - for your team, the leaders you support and, of course, for yourself.
Understand your own mental health
As a survivor of depression, I don't think the topic of mental health is as widely discussed as it needs to be, though progress has been made. As a public servant, you are uniquely positioned to lead the way for the rest of society. And as a leader, it is important for you to understand and monitor your mental health and that of others on your team. Doing so will help you ensure that proper care and treatment are provided with compassion and the impact of potential productivity losses is mitigated.
When your mental health is strong
When your mental health is strong, you feel resilient and you can recover from difficult events quickly. You have the ability to recognize the signs of mental health challenges in others and know how to deal with those situations. You take steps to get proper rest and personal support when you are away from work. Your boundaries between work and life are clear. You practice self-advocacy. You can adjust to absences due to the mental health challenges of staff and know how to manage successful returns to work.
As a leader, you guard against circumstances which could result in burnout: misalignment of work expectations. unstainable workloads (over 50 hours a week), mission exposure risk for front-line staff, harassment, and poor work culture. Burnout can be a precursor to mental illness.
When your mental health is not strong
Mental health issues can manifest in various ways, including anxiety or depression. Anxiety can be described as an ambient physiological feeling of unease or even fear. It can produce a variety of counterproductive behaviours ranging from hypervigilance at one end to 'autopilot' at the other. For those whose anxiety may be bordering on depression, you may notice more frequent over-extended behaviours (even too much of a good thing) or overfunctioning, which can manifest in longer than normal hours. Those suffering from depression may be less able to concentrate, have memory loss or forgetfulness, a sad affect or expressions of hopelessness/apathy, fatigue, interrupted sleep or dietary patterns and/or irritability. It may take them longer to finish tasks, and their work may not be as complete as before.
It is important to remember that mental health challenges are no more a sign of intellectual weakness than physiological ones are. Both can be lifethreatening, and both need to be taken seriously.
Maintain a network of supporters
Creating and maintaining a network of supporters (a coach, mentor, confidante, colleagues etc.) who can tell you when your behaviour seems out of the norm is very important. Mental health issues are serious medical issues, so you will need to talk with your doctor, who may recommend some time away from work and some combination of medication, counselling, exercise, meditation, rest, time in nature etc. A key element in treating depression is time - healing the brain cannot be forced; it must be allowed to heal. For this reason, the return to work process must be handled with extreme care to avoid relapse - a common experience for high-energy leaders.
Work with your coach
Your coach can be part of your support unit if you or someone on your team suffers from mental health issues. They can help you find ways to stay grounded and provide you with access to guidance and advice on how to handle these situations. They can also help you make the tricky decision to take personal time off and then help you manage your return to work.
We work with several coaches who have taken the Inside Public Sector Leadership Program and worked with public sector clients for many years. Please contact us if you would like a no-obligation referral with a complimentary ‘fit’ meeting: programs@publicsectorleadership.ca