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Two years of pandemic have taken a big toll on our mental health. From disrupted lives to dealing with the risk of disease and death, COVID-19 is seriously stressing us out. And we’ve also been told to limit or avoid the very things that normally give us balance, such as time spent with friends and family. For some, the weight of these burdens may have led to a severe mental breakdown.
Work may be a significant source of that stress – for example, if you’re a restaurant waiter required to confront an irate customer over a mask or vaccine mandate. Or your domestic problems may be bleeding into your workday.
But work can also be a place of support, writes Patricia L. Haynes, a clinical psychologist at the University of Arizona. My employer, for one, regularly sent us things like treats and takeout gift cards while encouraging us to take extra time off and emphasizing that we’re all in this together.
Nurturing social support is one of five key ways workplaces can help address and prevent employee mental health issues, explains Haynes. And it all starts with having a plan.
Also today:
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Patricia L. Haynes, University of Arizona
Two years of pandemic have put a severe strain on the mental health of America’s workers. Employers with a plan in place will be best equipped to help them cope.
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Economy + Business
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Christopher Decker, University of Nebraska Omaha
While the uptick in the unemployment rate in January may seem like bad news, the reason it rose actually shows the labor market returning to normal.
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Ethics + Religion
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J. Eugene Clay, Arizona State University
The current split in Ukrainian Orthodoxy reflects a fundamental question: Are Ukrainians and Russians one people or two separate nations?
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Environment + Energy
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Phillip Stalley, DePaul University
China has a tendency to underpromise so it can overdeliver.
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Jonathan S. Comer, Florida International University; Anthony Steven Dick, Florida International University
Children don’t have to be in physical danger for disaster images to have a powerful psychological impact.
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Politics + Society
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Maggie Smith, United States Military Academy West Point
Troop buildups and diplomatic negotiations highlight the threat of a major land war in Europe. In cyberspace, Russia has been attacking Ukrainian infrastructure and government operations for years.
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Science + Technology
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John Eric Goff, University of Lynchburg
It may look like athletes in bobsled, luge and skeleton simply grab a sled and hang on until the bottom, but high-speed physics and tiny motions mean the difference between gold and a crash.
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Henry Ou, University of Washington
That brownish/yellowish gunk that comes out on your finger if you scratch deep inside your ear? It actually serves an important purpose in your body.
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Reader Comments 💬
"Shared transport would seem to be the key. The only reason I own a car now, is so that it’s at my beck and call whenever the mood strikes. If I could just as easily summon a car to pick me up at my door, deliver me where I need to go and be available for the return journey I would be more than satisfied. Having this facility would be worth thousands of dollars per year...”
– Reader Anita Spinks on the story Driverless cars won’t be good for the environment if they lead to more auto use
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