June 2024 Wellness Focus

Welcome to this month's Wellness Focus – Erase the Stigma

This month, we will highlight the importance of educating ourselves about early intervention and seeking help without fear of judgment or discrimination.

Below, we have some great resources from MensLine Australia, Healthdirect, The Black Dog Institute and the MindSpot Clinic. Each resource has been carefully reviewed and handpicked by the Health & Safety team at WHT-S. 

Key facts - Mental Illness Stigma:

• Stigma in mental illness is having an unfair attitude or belief about someone with mental health challenges.
• Stigma can make people with mental illnesses feel ashamed or excluded.
• Stigma usually comes from not understanding mental illnesses.
• Stigma can cause people to feel distressed and sometimes stop them from asking for help.
• Everybody can help fight stigma by educating themselves about mental illnesses.

Men's Health Week 2024

Men's Health Week (MHW) is specifically focused on raising awareness about men's health and wellbeing. This year, it will take place from Monday 10 June to Sunday 16 June, providing a crucial opportunity to address and discuss health issues that uniquely affect men, and to promote measures for improving overall health.

This year for MHW, we will be joined by a fantastic guest speaker from the Black Dog Institute who will be delivering presentation to the workforce. David Westgate will be attending prestart at WHT-S on Thursday the 13th of June at 5:40pm, and Friday the 14th of June at 5:40am.

The Problem

Men's mental health issues have been overlooked for a long time, and many men still don't know about the most common warning signs of a potential problem. Some common warning signs to look out for are:

• Abuse or misuse of drugs or alcohol
• Noticeable changes in mood, appetite or energy levels
• Digestive issues, headaches and pain
• Sleep issues
• Impulsive and risk-taking behaviour

Head to Health is a free online tool to help find resources to understand and manage what you or your mates are going through. 

According to MATES in Constuction, "pride" is identified as an issue among men who choose not to speak about their emotions and experiences. Although we are slowly seeing improvements in the overall culture, many men still feel pressured by outdated social norms around being strong, stoic and independent. 

The Concern

• More than 20% of workers in the construction industry are shown to have had a mental health condition.
• Men in the construction industry are 53% more likely to take their own lives than other employed men across the country.
• Every year, 190 Australians working in the construction industry take their own lives.
• In Australia, there has been a consistent pattern of higher suicide rates among males compared to females, dating back to 1907.

Based on the above stats, it's clear that staying silent is not the best option. Phrases like "she'll be right, mate" and "chin up, cobber", might seem like the best thing to say when a mate is feeling low, but all that does is dismiss the issue and leave the person feeling alone. 

Where to begin? 

When people decide to open up about their mental health challenges, many will choose a friend or family member to speak to. Others may choose to go straight to a mental health professional or call a free helpline. How to talk about your mental health concerns by Healthdirect is a helpful free resource when considering how to go about the conversation.

Learn more...

• MensLine Australia - Free help, referrals and counselling for men
• MindSpot Clinic - Free Online Mental Health Support
• Black Dog Institute - Mental health online tools and apps

Having a yarn with the fellas😀💬

Men will often choose not to speak up because they don't want to burden others, or they may feel like their problems aren't significant enough to talk about.

Thankfully, there are many organisations that have been formed to help men feel more comfortable about speaking up and finding support. Below are two examples of our favourites here at WHT-S. 

Mr. Perfect - More than a BBQ
A community organisation connecting men across Australia over a relaxed free BBQ to chat about all thing’s life.
Their website also includes a range of resources in their Men's Health Directory.
On Sunday 16 June they have multiple BBQs taking place across Sydney – Newtown, Campbelltown and Narellan.
Can’t make it? All good! BBQ’s are organised once a month.

WNOW
An organisation creating a community where men are proud to be men; comfortable to take their ‘armour’ off. Weekly meetups across multiple Sydney locations to do a simple workout, share stories, take a dip in the ocean, and, most importantly, drink coffee and connect with one another.

Mental Health First Aid

Get to know the mental health first aiders in your area. They are a great resource for mental health support. You won't be able to miss them in the bright and colourful Shirts!

📖 Mental Health First Aider Personnel
📖 Mental Health First Aid Strategy
▶️ Mental Health First Aiders - Let's start the conversation (video)

Mental Health Check In

Looking after our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Ejaz is back on site for the new year to conduct face to face check in sessions.

Mental Health Check In 

• When: Friday, June 7th 2024 
              Friday, June 28th 2024
• Location: The Quiet Room at WHT-S (previously the IT room)

Can't make it on the day? Book a check in for next month! 

• BOOK HERE
  📖 Get to know Ejaz our Mental Health Professional 

Rozelle Interchange Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

The EAP service is free and available to all Rozelle interchange employees and their families, including subcontractors. For more details and information on how to book hit the Gryphon Psychology link below or what our "What to expect from a EAP session" video.

📖 Gryphon Psychology
▶️ What to expect from a EAP session (video)
▶️ Gryphon Psychology - Online Webinars