Spill have just switched to running payroll with Pento to save them the manual hassle, and to free up their Ops team to focus on improving their service. Spill provides all-in-one mental health support through Slack, including video therapy. Read on for four key tips on how to build emotional resilience in uncertain times, collated from Spill therapists.
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2020 has been a difficult year for many of us. New working lives, job market uncertainty and health anxiety have presented a unique challenge to our mental health. ONS stats suggest that twice as many adults in Britain are reporting symptoms of depression this year compared to last. Whilst vaccine progress does signal light at the end of the tunnel, the emotional challenges are not yet over.
So how can we stay strong, focused and energised? What can we do to stay mentally more level throughout the remaining ups and downs of the pandemic? Here, we dig into some sound advice from emotional experts, collated by mental health startup (and new Pento customer) Spill, which works with over 30 qualified therapists around the U.K.
💡 Understanding the psychology
From Covid press conferences to US election drama, the past few weeks have demonstrated how sensationalist headlines can raise stress levels, trigger anxiety and cause difficulty sleeping. At the same time, we know from cognitive science that a total lack of information can also cause anxiety. When we’re completely out of the loop, our brains love to speculate and arrive at worst-case-scenarios.
As we ride out uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to monitor where and when we get our news updates. If you know you need to kick your Twitter doom-scrolling habit, consider deleting the app. If clickbait news sites put you on edge, steer clear. And besides the quality, make sure you keep a handle on the quantity of your media intake with a media screen time limit.
👉 Putting it into practice
💡 Understanding the psychology
Anxiety loves an empty mind. Anything you can do to keep busy in your free time will help, but finding activities where you reach a psychological state of flow is a bonus, and will help you maintain a calm approach to your days.
But what exactly is flow? Psychological flow is when you lose all sense of time because you're totally engrossed in an activity that's both difficult and achievable, so as to be both interesting and motivated. Video game designers know all about this; it’s their job to try and keep players in a flow state throughout the lifespan of a game.
You might find your flow whilst painting, making music, exercising, working, caring for your kids or volunteering. The best bet is to try a few things, each for at least five hours before giving up, to see which activity you get lost in most easily.
👉 Putting it into practice
💡 Understanding the psychology
Does the thought of prioritising time for yourself leave you worrying about how your colleagues and loved ones will fare without you? ‘Self-care’ might seem like an indulgence or ‘just another wellness fad’. In a New Normal where it’s difficult to balance the needs of other people at home and at work, the idea of self-care might seem too self-serving.
But science tells us that it’s actually crucial to emotional health. If you give too much of your headspace to your kids, colleagues, partner or parents, you will ultimately end up drained and unable to effectively help them anyway.
Self-care is a regular, intentional process of devoting oneself to protecting and sustaining mental health. It can mean anything from good sleep hygiene to nutrition, exercise, spending quality time alone and with loved ones, finding time to relax, and practicing self-compassion. Take inspiration from the safety announcement you hear before an aeroplane takes off: "Put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others."
👉 Putting it into practice
💡 Understanding the psychology
Will I be allowed to see my family this Christmas? How much longer will I be working from home for? How will the UK’s economic recovery play out?
Right now, many of us are naturally focusing on things out of our control. It's tempting - stuck within our own four wall - to feel we less agency than ever. Dwelling on issues we can’t influence is natural, but it also leads to a feeling of being out of control, which in turn fuels anxiety.
The more we can bring our attention down to the micro level, the more we can see that we do have agency. By focusing artificially closely on these micro decisions - what to eat, what to read, who to call - we can give our brains the illusion of control and maintain emotional strength in the midst of uncertainty.
👉 Putting it into practice
Spill lets employees book video therapy sessions in three clicks through Slack. See Spill's guide to preventing burnout for advice on how to avoid this common issue in startups.
Getting paid for hard work is an essential element to our livelihood. Yet, at the same time, it is often one of the least digitally advanced and user-friendly experiences we offer to our employees. We are here to change that. We want to make it flexible and easy to get paid and enable everyone to choose for themselves how and when they want it done.
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