Becky Rocha: on taking back control of your mental health journey.
It was heartbreaking. It was unexpected. Worst of all, it was preventable. Watching a dear friend suffer from complete burnout due to work-related stress hit me hard. And knowing that coaching, my profession, could have made all the difference, hit me harder. But, from this frustration came a desire to use the power of coaching to help develop mentally healthy workplaces. And this is precisely why I became a fifty50 coach.
When I perused the fifty50 website, I lost count of how often I shouted either 'yes!', 'absolutely!', or 'agreed!'. I am so excited to be part of such a forward-thinking organisation that is leading the transformation in how employers approach workplace mental health. When my friend's response to me joining fifty50 was "this is exactly the support I needed!", I couldn't have felt more positive about becoming a member of the team.
We all believe in empowering and equipping people to take back control of their mental health journey. By providing a safe and non-judgmental outlet for employees to talk through their challenges and find a way forward, they can build resilience, reduce stress and improve wellbeing. For me, witnessing the shift coachees make from surviving to thriving, will always be inspiring and addictive. I mean, why wouldn't you invest in your people in a way that truly matters? Especially when it has such a positive impact on productivity and morale.
Prioritising mental health has never been more critical than it is now. According to research carried out in June 2020 by Mind, mental health problems have developed as a result of the pandemic, and existing mental health problems have gotten worse and, this is where coaching comes in. It allows us to work on our mental fitness like we do our physical wellbeing, playing just as much a preventive role in mental health as it does a supportive one. fifty50 coaches help employees better manage their emotions and challenge negative thinking – all of which bolsters their 'mental health wealth' and equips them to handle life's ups and downs. And the benefits infiltrate life outside of work too, supporting the movement to build a mentally healthy nation for ourselves and the generations to come. There is no job satisfaction quite like it.