World Mental Health Day may just be one day in the year, but there’s plenty we can be doing for ourselves and for others to help alleviate and understand the side effects of mental ill health
October 10 marks World Mental Health Day. While one single day seems inadequate when it comes to acknowledging, understanding and supporting positive mental health, this year’s theme is ‘It is time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace’. Given Australians are spending more time than ever at work, it is timely.
At Alberts, we are firm believers in healthy minds. That mental health, like physical health, is a right, not a privilege.
That’s why, through our impact investing business Alberts Impact Ventures (AIV), we are backing entrepreneurs striving to make a positive impact in the mental health space, including Like Family, Samphire Neuroscience and ThroughLine.
Partnering with pioneers in mental health innovation
Alberts is proud to partner with a number of companies who are doing trailblazing work in the mental health and well-being space:
Like Family
Like Family is, as the name suggests, like having your family on hand to help out with all those things, big and small, that life demands. A digital marketplace, Like Family connects a community of carers with people seeking everything from help dropping off medication or grocery shopping to providing companionship. Often accessed by the elderly and disabled, Like Family is supported by the NDIS and is available across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia. A vital service, Like Family eases loneliness, building communities where people feel valued and connected.
Samphire Neuroscience
Women and teens are still missing unacceptable amounts of school, work and life in general because of the physical and mental side effects caused by periods and PMS. London-based medtech company Samphire Neuroscience is dedicated to solving this and has devised, through three decades of tested and approved neurotechnology, a non-invasive medical device called Nettle. A subtle black headband worn for 20 minutes daily in the days leading up to a period, Nettle offers relief from the physical and mental pain associated with periods, a drug and hormone-free solution that non-invasively stimulates the brain regions responsible for emotional re gulation and pain perception.Samphire is now working on developing clinical-grade solutions to post-natal depression and addressing the most common symptoms experienced during menopause.
ThroughLine
Alberts has been backing ThroughLine since February 2022. A New Zealand start-up, ThroughLine strives to help people in mental distress quickly and easily access online mental health interventions. Bringing together around 1300 helplines globally across 100 different countries, ThroughLine connects people in need with the most appropriate support, wherever they are in the world. In 2023, founder Elliot Taylor and ThroughLine partnered with Google to ensure users had a quick and efficient search process. Given the search for ‘helpline’ has increased 60 per cent globally in the last five years ThroughLine is more necessary than ever.
Building a culture of openness and support
Additionally, Mindset Health continues to innovate in this space. In September, Alberts hosted an R U OK? Day breakfast for staff. A chance to check in with each other, it was also an opportunity to hear from Mindset Health’s co-founder Chris Naoumidis.
Along with his brother Alex, Melbourne-based Chris created Mindset Health in 2018, an app-based hypnotherapy tool that provides people with self-management programs for chronic conditions including Irritable Bowel Syndrome in addition to significantly reducing the symptoms of menopausal hot flushes; and for addressing mental health, including anxiety and depression.
The apps combine world-class research and evidence-based therapeutic tools with best-in-class consumer experiences, creating mobile apps that give people access to expert support.
On R U OK? Day, Chris spoke of the need to open up and normalise the conversation about mental health – in offices and beyond.
“Severe mental health affects one in five people each year. Mental health is really a spectrum and everyone is on that spectrum at some point,” Chris says. “If we’re talking about it more, if we’re treating it more like physical health in the way we talk with each other, that’s an important aspect of having it feel normal and having it feel OK.”
While immediate help is available if things get particularly challenging, including the free 24/7 Lifeline Australia telephone hotline (131114) or your local hospital’s emergency department (000), Chris points out how beneficial it can be to receive professional help through psychologists or counsellors before things hit crisis point. Daily mindful practices like meditation, diaphragmatic (deep) breathing, or going for a walk in nature and trying to stay present are all free resources we have at our fingertips.
“The core baselines for physical and mental health include exercising, eating healthy food, social connection, sleeping well, managing stress. They’re extremely important in giving ourselves and our bodies and our minds the time to connect,” Chris says. “Any one of those is way harder for someone struggling with mental health, when even going for a walk can be extremely challenging.
Understanding and respecting other people and how they’re feeling is so important, so anything we can do to make [discussions on mental health] feel more normal so these strategies become easier is important.”
Alberts hopes to foster a culture of healthy mindsets and has brought in a number of initiatives to support its staff towards achieving positive mental health, including a monthly Health & Wellbeing Incentive that encourages staff to take part in everything from yoga to live performances and counselling.
In September, many members of Alberts joined together and entered a team in STEPtember, achieving a combined total of 3,994,684 steps, including weekly staff walks in Sydney’s Botanic Gardens opposite our office, all while raising funds for Cerebral Palsy Alliance.
Each fortnight, employees are offered a yoga class on site to kick off their week, while walk and talk meetings with colleagues and the monthly Wellness Wednesday Hour enable staff to do something positive for themselves.
Nurturing well-being: a shared responsibility
Together, we can transform the narrative around mental health, ensuring it receives the attention and respect it deserves, ultimately creating a healthier, more resilient workforce. Let us all take a moment, not just today but every day, to check in on ourselves and one another, nurturing the collective well-being of our communities.
