The MENTAL TOOTHBRUSH…keeps your synapses clean and clear, strong and alert, capable and firing.
Right from the time we as new-borns joined the world, and soon got our first tooth, society and our caring parents put focus on the twice-daily dental hygiene….
Where, in the further growth and formation as citizens, do we learn to handle our mental hygienewith similar focus? The simple answer is, we aren’t taught such skills.
Let us look at 3 situations around the coffee machine in the hallway of most organisations.
1 The CEO passes by. “I am going to my doctor”
Response: “Oh, is it something bad?”
2 The CEO passes by another day “I am going to my dentist.” Response: “I’m glad it is not me…”
3 The CEO passes by another day, thinking a lot about his/her consultation with the psychologist…. saying nothing, and therefore no dialogue
3 cases of a need for professional consultation…
In the first two the cases we freely express our concerns, and receive natural empathic responses from others. These cases reflect values around maintaining physical health. Going to the doctor or dentist is regarded as natural and supported as sensible behaviour.
In the third case, we don’t talk about our appointment with the psychologist, usually because there is no positive perception of the need to see a psychologist. Although this case is about maintaining mental health, it is, by most people seen as something to be hidden, and to some extent even shameful, something we really ought to not need at all.
Therefore, in general, we don’t focus on preventing imbalances and promoting a sound workplace, mainly because most leaders are not familiar and comfortable with stimulating a performance culture that prioritizes such a focus. A mental health focus can prevent the negative effect of mental imbalances on the drain on human capital resources, such as rapid staff turnover, absenteeism, presenteeism, lack of engagement and ownership to organisation, job and colleagues lack of innovation, efficiency and productivity, and more.( ref.: Gallup, multinational survey 2017, – only 15 % are engaged in their job and organisation).
The point is less about the billions of Euros being lost through such imbalances in the workplace. The point is more, why do leaders not make it natural on a prioritized and regular basis, throughout all levels of the organisation, to openly focus on sound mental health, growing the human capital as a win-win for organisation and employee alike? This is because the main drivers for our welfare society is measured on curing illnesses…
…AND therefore, only when you are diagnosed mentally ‘ILL’, are you allowed to utilize your company’s health insurance (in Denmark 2,2 mill employees are included through their organisations)
…AND when employees go to a psychologist through a health insurance programme, they will ‘be cured’
…unfortunately, leaders, colleagues, HR or health insurance companies are not yet focused on the potential value and learning in gaining an overview of the causes of the ‘ILLness’.
We propose to bring to your company a balanced way to implement a mental health programme, through the natural daily use of THE MENTAL TOOTHBRUSH….for leaders, employees, for bringing shared understandings of the relation between causes and reasons for imbalances, measurements and documentation, PeopleScoreCard…
We are ready to support your company’s process of becoming a health-promoting workplace, where people thrive and consistently remain at mental healthy performance levels.
Contact us at:
Knud Møller Jensen, knud@vitalmental.dk, + 45 21267192
Janne Dannerup , janne@vitalmental.dk