Besides the trendy overpriced apps such as Calm, Headspace, Talkspace, and the like, is there a more cost-efficient way we can cure our insanity, binging snack drawer addiction, and find solutions to get more work done at the same time?
Well, if there was a cure to those and cancer and depression and burnout and loneliness and lack of motivation and this endlessness, then we would all not be here educating ourselves.
Life would be simpler but better?
It sure would be but there are always problems we come up with.
When will we ever be satisfied on our own and stay that way?
Whenever we have a problem, we search tirelessly to find results. It makes sense since it is our priority to care for our lives and make use of it while we are here on this dangerous scary planet.
Besides the stock market and 2 trillion dollar market cap companies that try to sway us into purchasing more goods through machine learning and sneaky algorithms that we donât need and recommending our eyes to stay on ads from a site we were just on, there is no way we can rely on Wall Street to fix these problems.
Similarly to ESG and sustainability, we only have 2 choices.
Corporations or government. Large philanthropists wonât even make the change. Sure, recycling and not commuting will make our world cleaner, but we need the private industry that can solve faster than anyone, especially the public government that takes their vacations seriously. As if they deserved it.
When it comes to mental health which is a big issue, we need something bigger to defeat it but it comes at a cost. On the sustainability side, besides BlackRock and Patagonia, one of the most eco-friendly conscious companies, there is a trade-off. Implementing regulation and best practices come with a price and no long term guarantee. As much as firms love to take risks for higher returns, drilling millions of dollars into employeeâs health doesnât seem like the greatest return.
As with our health, it is the same dilemma. The World Health Organization stated mid pandemic when suicides and mental health check-ins were on the rise, âWorkplaces that promote mental health and support people with mental disorders are more likely to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity, and benefit from associated economic gains.â
Those economic gains could be meaningfulâââdepression and anxiety cost the global economy some $1 trillion per year in lost productivity.â
Although this is hard to believe, it is still hard to convince employers to take action. Promoting mental health will save and make more money in teh long run including better productivity, mental focus, mood, and creativity, which is always the best reward.
So how can this get accomplished?
What Corporations Can Do
There are several ways and techniques that companies can institute better mental health practices. These include:
- Discounted or free memberships for mental health apps mentioned above
- Flexible work schedules including more vacations paid parental leave or WFH situation
- Free or subsidized therapy/counseling for employees and their families
No wonder the hedge fund managers are the most common subset from Wall Street to quit their jobs and start from scratch as entrepreneurs on Shark Tank, with all that money, they needed a reason to chase away from that culture and do something meaningful, again.
Unfortunately, Wall Street is the last place you want to go to the job market to do that. Expect to spend more time with clients than with your family.
This also raises the question, what you value: money or health. Fresh out of school, it is tempting to go for the job that pays the most and become the Wolf of Wall Street but once that ton of bricks hits you in the head, you start getting migraines and your health declines, you will come to the realization like millions of high demand stressful workers that your health is all that you got.
So What Do IÂ Do?
As a non-goat yoga lover, meditation prone person, the last place I want to do is pretend Iâm on a beach in a cold and dingy therapy reduced anxiety classroom.
People feel hopeless these days because there are too many outlets to choose from. Just like the internet, there is so much out there, we have no idea where to begin.
Isnât it supposed to make life easier?
When did we get to a certain point that too much is enough?
For all we know, these advancements will keep continuing while humans will stay the same.
We will have the same problems, even worse than before because we believe there is a solution out there tailored for us.
Starting, retrieving it, and seeing that it works for others makes us jealous, worried, anxious, and in a worse part than with our intended issue.
As a recent 20 year old myself, graduating from the teen years of my life, Iâve certainly went through hurdles to arrive in a better place now with how I feel today and the internet did not stand in between any of my progress.
To get anything done, you first have to convince yourself that you want to change and it will be worth it.
We fall behind with our aspirations because we believe there canât be anything that will change this overnight. And thatâs true, nothing does but delaying it and pretending it doesnât exist is worse.
Thatâs where corporate America comes in.
They tend to sweep it under the rug except of course for the companies that preach for this behavior simply because it is the core of their business model. Without preaching things work and asking customers for testimonials and reviews, they would be gone.
But a lot of the time, what works for someone doesnât for you.
That is the trap that people with mental health issues, which we all have since we all have brains and emotions deal with. We believe that no one in the world is feeling this way because they have found an outlet, therapist, soundtrack, or right product to get them out of the ditch without knowing that how they achieved results and better spirits were not easy.
That is one of the many things that is difficult with our mental health. All the non-essential information is found online and what we need to know such as the true journey is too embarrassing to display.
Itâs just like learning from people will save you hours. A single 10-minute conversation will teach you 10x more than browns the internet for hours. Bounce ideas off of people and when you learn from experience and perspective through genuine and organic feedback,, that information will stick. Why make mistakes yourself when you learn from those who made them before you?
The energy you put into the conversation, you will get out. If you are dealing with depression or simply much more annoyed than usual these days, it is most important to seek help earlier than later.
We believe that our time is precious and we cannot waste it on things that:
- Wonât make us feel good pronto
- Donât see results right away
From losing weight to getting a good grade on a paper, you cannot expect luck to guide you. You must take the action in order to see long-term results. This doesnât have to involve spending hours and thousands of dollars on therapists. It can be blocking the friends that donât treat you right or taking the time to nap.
Anything that makes you feel good with a challenge along with keeping you saner and are great steps towards getting the job done.
Whoâs Fault?
We can blame our parents, the way we grew up, our professors or ourselves (ding, ding) for this dilema spinning in our head. Most of it is made up and what you have, someone else wants.
Being appreciative and making Thanksgiving every day is a way to not put any blame on anyone or anything.
To build a business, regardless if you inherited billions, that wonât make it easier to sustain it. Sure, it might help bootstrap and get past the pitching to fundraisers/investors, but after that, it is up to you to control yourself and your destiny.
It is easier than ever to create and get what you want. In fact, you already have what you want inside.
Itâs called a dream.
What isnât show online happens to all of us. You are never an imposter because thatâs why help and support exist.
Problem Solved
Even if companies do issue half-day Fridays or pajama Thursdays along with providing free membership to Headspace, that wonât guarantee you a better existence.
We believe more is better through the hedonic treadmill. Yes, you will be happy for the next 48 hours after you buy that Lambo, rising to the peak of the hill, then slowly decline and stay stagnant on a decline with your happiness.
Everything plateaus at the end but in order to prevent that you must take initiative for yourself.
External prizes and support can always be there for you but what mental health really comes down to is your mentality to cure your health first.