There is just so much devastating news that we seem to be increasingly more aware of in our digitised and instant news age. It can all feel a little overwhelming. So, Fans of Plans, how can we help our workforces with their mental wellbeing? Because we absolutely need to. This thought really struck me the other week when a friend had a bereavement in her workplace, it was a sudden and tragic loss. Speaking to this friend, she was finding it hard to process and even more so when compounded with the constant rolling news of devastating events going on in the world – it was all understandably overwhelming. How we can help our colleagues We never truly know what an individual is going through and we can all react to the same news in very different ways. Being able to adapt and have the right support available for our colleagues is vital. We can do this through mental health first aiders who can sign post towards professional support, or simply be a listening ear. We also need to make sure that our managers are trained in being able to recognise signs of when a colleague might be struggling – feeling that support from your manager can make a huge difference. Professional support in the workplace can take different forms too, maybe you have an employee assistance programme that you can promote more when there are signs of mental and emotional fatigue showing in your workplace. Or perhaps having a counsellor available on-site for colleagues to chat to after a particular event can be a great support for people. Global effects on your employees Having access to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year rolling news can be an unhealthy thing. Yes, it’s important to know what is going on in the world, but over-consumption of tragic news stories, such as we are currently witnessing in Ukraine and the Middle East, can have a severe effect on our mental wellbeing. Here are a few tips you can share with colleagues to help them with this balance. • Turn off their news alerts on their electronic devices – being alerted regularly with difficult news can take its toll on us. Access the news when you want to, not when the news agency tells you. • Further to this, decide how much time in the day you will spend looking at the news. Maybe choose only to read you morning paper, or perhaps just watch the evening news, or even limit your screen time on news apps. • Take time to talk to family, friends and colleagues about what is going on and what your worries are. They are likely having similar feelings and sharing your concerns will make you feel less alone. But also make sure you take time to talk about other topics. • Be proactive – there is so much we can be doing to support and help, even in small ways. By doing something proactive, perhaps volunteering at a local charity or helping with aid parcels, or even holding a fundraising event for a charity can help your mental wellbeing as well as others affected by devastations. Most important to remember is that everyone deals with grief differently, so respect and be kind to others – and remember it’s ok to not be ok – if you are feeling mentally drained, please make sure you seek out help. Asking for help is not a weakness, it’s a sensible and proactive first step to dealing with the world around us.