Every January, ICBA Wellness takes our ICBA team back through the theme of the stigma surrounding mental health. It’s a conscious decision by our team, as we know we are trying to undo generations of belief around mental wellness – and that take repetition over a long period of time.
This week’s material explains why we need to continue to push back against stigma – put simply, how negatively it can affect people with mental health challenges. It can lead them to experience:
- A reduced sense of hope
- Lower self-esteem
- An increase in their symptoms
- Difficulties maintaining social relationships, and social isolation
- A lessened chance that they will stick to their treatment plan or seek help for their mental health challenges
- Difficulties in the workplace or issues finding opportunities to participate in gainful employment, studies, or school activities
No one should ever add to someone else’s struggles. The best thing we can all do to reduce stigma is to be aware of our own attitudes and behaviour around mental health, educate ourselves about mental health conditions, and choose our words carefully.
We owe It to our family, friends, and colleagues to always strive to do better!
Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 100 companies and more than 10,000 construction professionals better understand mental health. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.
