Raising Awareness for World Mental Health Day

October 10th is World Mental Health Day. This year’s theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health focuses on access to services for mental health in catastrophes and emergencies. This addresses a critical global issue. Every year, millions of people are affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters and humanitarian crises that profoundly disrupt lives and mental wellbeing.

According to the World Health Organisation, almost everyone affected by emergencies experiences psychological distress, with 22% of people who have experienced conflict in the past decade developing conditions such as depression, anxiety or post traumatic stress disorder. Emergency situations significantly disrupt mental health services exactly when people need them most, creating barriers to accessing care during the most vulnerable periods of their lives.

Mental Health in Today’s Workplace

The theme of access to mental health services resonates beyond major emergencies. In our daily working lives, many people also struggle to access support when they need it most. Work continues during personal crises, family difficulties and health challenges, often adding pressure when people are already vulnerable.

The Health and Safety Executive’s most recent statistics show that 776,000 workers in Great Britain suffered from work related stress, depression or anxiety in 2023 to 2024, with 16.4 million working days lost to these conditions. Mental Health First Aid England reports that 45% of UK employees feel uncomfortable discussing mental health concerns with their manager, fearing negative consequences.

These figures highlight a concerning gap between need and support. When nearly half of employees feel unable to speak openly about mental health struggles and millions of working days are lost to stress related conditions, it suggests that current workplace support systems aren’t meeting people’s needs. The reluctance to discuss mental health concerns means problems often go unaddressed until they reach a crisis point, making recovery more difficult and costly for both individuals and businesses.

Poor mental health costs UK employers an estimated £21.6 billion annually through lost productivity, absenteeism and staff turnover. But behind every statistic is a person struggling to balance their wellbeing with their responsibilities.

Simple Ways to Be Mindful at Work

You don’t need statistics to know that people around you are struggling. In every workplace, someone is dealing with anxiety, depression, grief or just trying to hold things together during a difficult patch. Most of the time, you’d never know.

Creating a mentally healthy workplace doesn’t require expensive programmes or major policy changes. Often it’s the small, everyday interactions that make the biggest difference. Being mindful at work means paying attention to the people around you and responding with kindness when someone needs support:

• Listen when you ask how someone is and give people permission to answer honestly
• Notice changes in behaviour and offer a gentle check-in if a usually chatty colleague becomes quiet
• Respect people’s privacy and trust that they know what they need when someone needs time off
• Acknowledge that some periods are harder and everyone has weeks where they’re just getting through
• Make it safe to say “I’m struggling” and remove the fear that honesty will harm someone’s career
• Understand different coping styles because some people want to talk while others need space to process
• Remember you don’t need to fix everything because sometimes just knowing someone cares is enough

Our Commitment to Mental Health

Priority Pixels has been a proud signatory of the Mindful Employer Charter since 2021. This commitment from the Devon Partnership NHS Trust encourages employers to create supportive, stigma-free environments where mental health is treated with the same importance as physical health.

When someone on our team needs support, we listen without judgement and help them access what they need. We’ve learned that meaningful mental health support involves creating a culture where people feel safe being honest about their struggles and know they won’t be penalised for having human experiences.

This World Mental Health Day, as we think about access to services during difficult times, we’re reminded that workplaces can be part of the solution. Whether someone is facing a major crisis or just finding everyday life overwhelming, having colleagues and managers who understand can make the difference between coping and falling apart.