3. Work-life balance and other nonsense: 5 mental health myths debunked

10/15/24 • 15 min

World Mental Health day is an opportunity to take stock of where we stand in the humanitarian sector, despite much progress made in this field over the past couple of decades. This episode looks at 5 persisting ideas and myths in the humanitarian sector regarding mental health that may not only be inaccurate but actually harmful. They make it harder to tackle mental health issues adequately, with serious consequences not just for aid workers, but also humanitarian organizations and projects, and ultimately, crisis-affected people and our collective ability to have a positive impact. A myth-debunking episode.

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Previous Episode

2. Narrative audits: do you want to keep buying your own BS?

Our brain has a remarkable capacity to make up stories based on facts to help us make sense of the world and help us make decisions. The problem is, sometimes, those narratives are not always the ones we need to take action and move in the direction we want to go. In a sector as intense as humanitarian aid, no one needs more unecessary, stress, solely added on by our brain. The skill of auditing our own narratives, defining clearly which ones serve our purpose and which ones don't, and deciding deliberately which ones we want to keep choosing, can make the biggest difference in your life and in the humanitarian sector as a whole. This episode shows exactly how to do just that, step by step.

Next Episode

4. Surviving the office jerk: 3 ways to keep your cool

Working in the humanitarian sector can feel like juggling flaming torches—tight deadlines, endless deliverables, and life-or-death stakes. And then, enter the office jerk. These difficult colleagues can leave us feeling frustrated, demotivated, and sometimes ready to toss in the towel. Let’s face it, dealing with them is a massive drain on our time, energy, and mental space, often leading to stress, burnout, and a real hit to our quality of life—and impact. When that office jerk strikes, emotions run high, and staying calm and true to your values? Yeah, not always easy.

But don't worry! In this episode, you'll get:

A short exercise to talk yourself off the roof when you feel like you're losing your mind
Tips for setting effective boundaries like a pro
Three mindset shifts to help you reframe the drama and think more clearly.

Rewired for Good - 3. Work-life balance and other nonsense: 5 mental health myths debunked

Transcript

Hello hello my dear workers, I hope everyone's doing okay, I'm doing fine. I just spent a really wonderful week in Cairo, spending time with extraordinary people really, humanitarians, brainstorming ideas for impact, it's been really really good. I'm quite happy all things considered... The news remaining what they are across the board of course.

Just a few days ago we marked World Mental Health Day and I confess that I get a little worked up when I read and I realize the amount of progr