Reflections
Welcome to my sanctuary of thoughts and reflections! Based on mental health topics, along with a few personal stories, this is my space to share knowledge and insight that might resonate with you.
Psssst. Did you know I have a vlog section too?
Is “prioritising mental health at work” a fashion statement?
by Lesley | June 28, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments
I started facilitating corporate mental health workshops in 2018, two years before the Covid pandemic. What motivated and qualified me to do this? Well, having worked as a consulting Occupational Therapist in the insurance industry for over 20 years assisting...
Stress versus Burnout
by Lesley | February 9, 2023 | Mental health, Workplace | 0 Comments
There is a great deal of misunderstanding when it comes to what it means to be “stressed out” and what it means to be “burned out”. Both terms have been plagued by definitional ambiguity throughout history. Let me explain some of the differences as well as...
Regular Workplace Mental Health Workshops versus EAPs
by Lesley | January 26, 2023 | Mental health, Workplace | 0 Comments
Never before in my career spanning 3+ decades have I heard so much talk about the need for stress and burnout management in the workplace. Talk about employees suffering from depression and anxiety. Talk about rising substance abuse. And never before have...
Bullying in the Workplace…it’s a REAL THING!
by Lesley | December 1, 2022 | Mental health, Workplace | 0 Comments
Last week I was presenting a session at a conference in Cape Town about psychosocial hazards in the workplace that place employees at risk of psychological harm. One of the hazards that I used as an example in my presentation was bullying. While some...
Mental Health in the Workplace – Prevention is better than Cure
by Lesley | November 17, 2022 | Mental health, Workplace | 0 Comments
I know it’s a cliché, but prevention really is better than cure. This is why many people go for annual medical screenings, such as for breast cancer, and also take prophylactic medication such as Malanil for malaria prevention. I don’t have to tell you how...
The Difference between “feeling depressed” and Clinical Depression
by Lesley | October 27, 2022 | Mental health, Workplace | 0 Comments
One of the biggest factors that makes depression difficult to understand as an illness is that everyone feels depressed, or at least profoundly sad, sometimes. This “feeling depressed” is interpreted by many people as being the same thing as Clinical...
The Benefits of Live Conferences and Workshops
by Lesley | October 13, 2022 | Workplace | 0 Comments
From 2 to 4 October 2022, I attended the AMCOA2022 conference at Sun City, and it reinforced my opinion that while we have been lucky to have virtual platforms in the past 3 years, there is nothing like the real thing! This conference was attended by Medical...
Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace
by Lesley | August 25, 2022 | Mental health, Workplace | 0 Comments
Current statistics indicate that 1 in 4 adults suffer from some sort of mental health issue, most commonly in the form of depression, anxiety and excessive substance use. It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that many of these sufferers are found in...
Mental Health Benefits of De-Cluttering
by Lesley | August 11, 2022 | Mental health | 0 Comments
Two weeks ago, I was feeling quite overwhelmed with anxiety as I realized that my work schedule for the weeks ahead was significantly quieter than usual. Being self-employed, some of my anxiety was about the financial implications of this pending “quiet time”,...
The benefits of Employers providing regular support to their Employees
by Lesley | July 28, 2022 | Mental health, Workplace | 0 Comments
In South Africa at this time, we are all faced with significant adversity – loadshedding, increased cost of living and rising crime statistics to name just a few. And that’s before we get to the more personal ones such as loss of loved ones, illness and...