Mini-guide to help employee’s mental health through winter

With the challenges brought on by cold weather and the holiday season, winter can often be a difficult time. But with COVID-19, this year’s winter may be even more demanding on our mental health and well-being. This mini-guide is designed to help employers provide workers with specific tools and resources during the winter months.

Why is our mental health affected more during winter and the holiday season?

As summer comes to an end, we quickly find ourselves in the midst of darker, colder months. While some people embrace the wintry weather, others struggle with their daily tasks or fall into seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression related to these seasonal changes. Not everyone experiences SAD, but lots of people share very similar symptoms and mood changes during winter.

Communicating with empathy

How you communicate is as important as what you communicate. Communicating with empathy — the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of another person — requires listening with an intent to understand. Doing so enables you to make an informed and considerate response, which increases the likelihood of a positive outcome.When individuals are having difficulty coping with stressors, communicating with empathy is one of the best ways of understanding and helping them get through such periods. Communicating clearly is also helpful during times of ambiguity. When people are feeling overwhelmed, they can find it difficult to process tasks and large amounts of information. Knowing that can help eliminate uncertainty in the workplace.