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Part 1: Mental Health in the Communication Industry
In my previous blog, I talked about the psychology behind TikTok and also shared tips on how psychology can help in its usage.
The World Health Organization defines mental health as ‘a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
Mental health awareness has become increasingly more popular in the communication industry, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic and on World Mental Health Day. In 2020 alone, mentions of World Mental Health Day sparked substantial conversation, with almost one million mentions on the day itself and around 1.5 million tweets throughout the week, 46% of which were positive.
Psychology plays a big part on mental health, especially during the pandemic. Your emotions, including fear, worry, happiness, calmness, and anger, among others, play a big part in your mental health. In order to properly ensure that you are in control of your own mental health, you need to communicate better.
Most people working in the communication industry, whether in public relations, social media, or advertising, have been fortunate to have been able to work remotely, even after the world started opening up again. This reduces stress and anxiety levels of leaving ‘safe spaces,’ being prone to testing positive, and interacting with potential positive cases.
Mental health is an issue that should not be taken lightly. If you are dealing with mental health struggles, consider informing your employer, talking to your friends and loved ones, or even seeing a psychologist.
According to the 2020 ‘Continuing the Conversation: Mental Wellbeing in Public Relations’ report issued by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and Opinium, 59% of PR practitioners who had mental health struggles informed their employers, and 72% of those who took time off for mental health struggles were honest in the reason for their time off.
These numbers are significant, especially at a time where mental health is stigmatized globally, and people are being bullied or berated when they open up about their mental health struggles. It may not seem significant to you, but take it from a fellow PR practitioner, who suffered from mental health struggles: it is, and being supported by my loved ones helped tremendously.
So, can psychology affect and influence how you see mental health and how can PR shape that conversation? Find out more in the next part of my blog.
Antoine Boghos is Senior Account Manager at Cicero & Bernay Public Relations, an independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA region. | www.cbpr.me