Page 4 - Safety Book Sept 2017

Safety Activity Book

September 2017 – R U OK? Mental Health

R U OK?

Welcome to R U OK – Mental Health. This month our focus is all about the mental health and
wellness of our employees and gives you tips on how to ask staff if they are okay. Here at PETstock
most of our initiatives have been focused on our physical wellbeing, and now we need to understand
and focus on the mental wellbeing. We all go through stressful situations whether it be at work or
home. That said, there are many ways that we can improve our overall mental health.

Why the focus?

As employers or staff, we can all create a culture where
people feel confident in discussing mental health issues.
Promoting mental health in the workplace is a benefit for
everyone; managers, employees and business owners.

Did you know? It’s estimated that 45% of Australians will
experience a mental health condition in their lifetime, the
most common being anxiety and depression.

According to the World Health Organisation, mental health is
“a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or
her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life,
can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a
contribution to his or her community.” With the help of R U
th
OK day on September 14 we can promote employees
Why the focus?
asking the question genuinely to ensure we have meaningful
conversations with our employees and work colleagues.

Mental Health

Positive mental health is a sense of wellbeing,
confidence and self-esteem. It enables us to fully
enjoy and appreciate other people, day-to-day life
and our environment. A mental illness is a health
problem that significantly affects how a person
thinks, behaves and interacts with other people.
Mental illness results from complex interactions
between mind body and environment, factors such
as long-term and acute stress, use of alcohol and
drugs, negative thoughts and low self-esteem and
social factors such as family breakdowns or
violence all contribute.