{"id":134435,"date":"2021-02-16T16:37:37","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T15:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=134435"},"modified":"2021-03-04T11:54:24","modified_gmt":"2021-03-04T10:54:24","slug":"accessmatters-with-kdp-coaching-consultings-katie-phillips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/accessmatters-with-kdp-coaching-consultings-katie-phillips\/","title":{"rendered":"accessmatters with KDP Coaching & Consulting\u2019s Katie Phillips"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018There\u2019s never been a better time to talk about mental health in the workplace, but we\u2019ve got a long bloody way to go,\u2019 is how KDP Coaching & Consulting<\/a>\u2019s Katie Phillips summed up the management of mental health issues in 2021 during today\u2019s accessmatters discussion on wellbeing in the workplace. <\/strong><\/p>\n

In the session, \u2018recovering perfectionist\u2019 Katie shared the story of how she became an advocate for mental wellbeing at work as well as advice for those currently struggling. With 15 years of experience in communications, government, corporates and start-ups across the world, Katie\u2019s own burn out and eventual recovery inspired her to launch her own consultancy, helping businesses and individuals nurture mental health with one-to-one workshops and coaching.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve seen the good, the bad and the horrendously ugly of workplace wellbeing,\u2019 said Katie. \u2018I realised that something had to change and decided I was going to quit my job, sell all my stuff and run off to the jungle to recoup\u2026 I don\u2019t recommend this to everyone, though \u2013 don\u2019t fret, that\u2019s not the only way to do it\u2019.<\/p>\n

Being a habitual overachiever and perfectionist, Katie\u2019s professional life had never been completely healthy, though it was experiences of chaotic, overly-hierarchical and unkind work environments that turned the day-to-day stresses of working in PR into a full-on crisis. It is recognising that difference between the states of stress and burnout that those working during the pandemic need to pay attention to, advises Katie: \u2018Stress is very much about feeling too much \u2013 too much work, pressure, noise. Burnout is feeling \u201cnot enough\u201d \u2013 not filled with hope; empty\u2019.<\/p>\n

For Katie, the ramping up of stress to burnout meant a constant questioning of her own ability, feelings of resentment, a louder than ever inner critic that followed her outside of work and physical problems \u2013 skin complaints, twitching eyelids and nightly episodes of sickness that wouldn\u2019t allow her to sleep. For those who are noticing similar issues with their own wellbeing, what can be done?<\/p>\n

\u2018The main thing I always say is to look for changes in behaviour,\u2019 says Katie. \u2018Be self-aware \u2013 notice physical, emotional and cognitive changes. Are you getting colds frequently, are you more tearful or irritable than usual? Do you get brain fog? Do things take longer than they normally would? All of us are experiencing some of these things now \u2013 everyone reports this stuff to some level. Our brains are flooded with cortisol; we\u2019re always tired.<\/p>\n

\u2018Are you checking your emails all night, working when you\u2019re sick? These behaviours can lead you very quickly to feelings of exhaustion. It\u2019s really important to look for those changes and be aware of them.\u2019<\/p>\n

On the company-level, Katie believes more needs to be done to support the mental health of employees \u2013 \u2018I\u2019m not sure anyone is doing enough. We are making massive progress, but is talking going to fix things? Companies need to create environments where people thrive. The mental health stuff needs to come on top of systemic change. To be enough, we need to think about the foundations of our organisations and the industry itself.\u2019<\/p>\n

And for drawing a line between work and life when things are increasingly blurry, Katie believes making the effort to switch off is vital. \u2018I wish I had a magic wand for it. You have to do what works for you; we all need different things. Picking up hobbies I used to love when I was little helps \u2013 I loved drawing when I was little, so I started doodling again. I really loved to be on my bike, so I bought a bike. Think about things you used to do for fun. I know it\u2019s not the same as going on holiday, but get a colouring book, cook, have a call with your mates or loved ones.\u2019<\/p>\n

Just as important as staying connected and talking, is listening \u2013 being aware of what your fellow colleagues might be going through and supporting each other: \u2018It\u2019s not just talking, it\u2019s the conversations \u2013 a dialogue, not just putting out messages,\u2019 says Katie. \u2018Classic PR and marketing stuff, really.\u2019<\/p>\n

For more from accessmatters, catch up with our previous sessions with Taylor Bennett Foundation\u2019s Melissa Lawrence<\/a> and Manifest\u2019s Julian Obubo<\/a> or check out the accessmatters hub<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018There\u2019s never been a better time to talk about mental health in the workplace, but we\u2019ve got a long bloody way to go,\u2019 is how KDP Coaching & Consulting\u2019s Katie Phillips summed up the management …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":134434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7365,7401,7272,3725],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134435"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/423"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134435"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134440,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134435\/revisions\/134440"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}