To combat this, businesses need systems that catch early signs of decline. One overlooked but common symptom is nocturnal anxiety – negative thoughts that spiral at night, disrupting sleep. These thoughts can replay past mistakes or catastrophise the future, creating a cycle: stress disrupts sleep, poor sleep fuels more stress, and the pattern repeats.
This nocturnal anxiety can be disempowering, leaving people feeling out of control. The effects bleed into the workday through irritability, poor focus and reduced resilience. But the cycle can be broken.
One technique I teach is mental redirection. When a negative thought arises, replace it with a neutral or positive image – visualise throwing away the thought and shifting to something calming, like an upcoming holiday or a serene place.
Another effective method is structured visualisation. One individual struggling with night anxiety would mentally plan a detailed trip to Europe each night: booking flights, packing, navigating the airport. She never got past the airport in her mind as she fell asleep long before. The brain can’t maintain anxiety while focusing on detailed visual tasks, so this tactic disrupts the anxiety loop.
Other tools include breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and reducing screen time before bed. But most importantly, recognising the problem early and acting on it can stop the damage from deepening.
We cannot treat mental health as a short-term pandemic response. It must be embedded into workplace culture. Just as we prioritise physical safety, we need to treat psychological safety with the same seriousness. Mental injuries can be as damaging as physical ones.
That means going beyond mental health first aid. While immediate support is vital, we must tackle the root causes of stress and anxiety: unmanageable workloads, poor communication, lack of autonomy, and toxic work environments.
Proactive investment in mental health makes a difference. Training employees to recognise early signs of decline, implementing wellness programmes, and promoting a culture of openness are essential. A workplace that values mental health doesn’t wait for burnout. It spots the signs early, gives employees tools to manage stress, and supports their wellbeing consistently.
Good mental health isn’t an optional perk, it’s foundational for sustained success. As we move past the pandemic’s urgency, we must avoid reverting to outdated thinking. Human beings are an organisation’s greatest asset. It’s ironic that we readily maintain machines and tools, yet often neglect the wellbeing of the people who keep everything running.
Slow harm is dangerous precisely because it’s so easy to miss. But with awareness, practical tools, and a culture that prioritises mental health, businesses can prevent decline before it takes hold.
Ultimately, workplace mental health is about restoring control – to our thoughts, our wellbeing, and our ability to thrive. In a time when burnout and anxiety are at all-time highs, this isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.
