051: Making Wellbeing A Core Part of Business and Culture Practice with Dr Tom Nehmy

Did you know that we are somehow in the middle of a mental health epidemic? Yes, anxiety, depression, and mental health-related issues are steadily rising, particularly among young people. That said, why aren’t we doing anything about it? We all know the immeasurable benefits of being mentally healthy, yet our only focus is on treating instead of preventing mental health-related issues.

The importance of mental health and well-being continues to grow. But people are still not sure about the subject, and a lot of stereotypes and myths still exist. It is therefore important that leaders be aware of the well-being of themselves, as well as their teams.

When people are mentally healthy, they have more energy, they are more focused, they are more motivated, and they are more productive. Thus, good mental health is an essential part of your business practice. Healthy thinking (balanced, helpful, and realistic thinking) promotes well-being and serves as an antidote for anxiety and depression.

It’s so unfortunate that when talking about mental health, the first thing that comes to our minds is mental illness. It’s like the only time we can try to improve our mental health is when something goes wrong. Here’s the thing, we all have the capacity to avoid mental health-related problems. Your brain is a muscle, and just like all our other muscles, it can be trained. Think of it this way; when improving your physical health, you’ll get a gym membership, workout and eventually get stronger, fitter, better. According to Dr. Tom Nehmy, mental health is exactly the same. It’s preventable as well as reversible. You just have to spot the negative trends early enough to get the best results.

Today we’re going to talk about well-being. Our special guest, Dr. Tom Nehmy, talks about what it means to be mentally healthy and have well-being and resilience in the workplace. An award-winning clinical psychologist and director of the Healthy Minds Program, Tom is passionate about preventative psychology and teaching people to become mentally healthy.

TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDE

Getting to know Dr. Tom Nehmy (04:37)

Why Dr. Nehmy got into preventive psychology (06:15)

The link between being mentally healthy and high performance (10:20)

The myths and misconceptions around mental health (13:00)

The theory of stress and performance (14:29)

Why optimism is a lot more than positive thinking (18:53)

The three main parts of a healthy mindset (21:56)

Healthy thinking when tackling anxiety and depression (25:00)

Wellbeing reviews and why they are so effective (27:40)

The 6 core components of a wellbeing review (30:30)

Behavioral activation and having fun in an office setting (32:50)