According to the World Health Organization, mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community.” Mental illness is when you cannot live your highest and best life because you cannot work through the mental roadblocks that govern you. It’ can feel like a bit of hell on earth.
Across the globe, people are experiencing significant mental health challenges, such as depression, stress, anxiety, addictive behaviors, etc. These are not new, but since the worldwide pandemic, the sheer number of mental health challenges not only increased but amplified significantly. Statistics show that 1 in 5* US adults experience a mental illness each year. 1 in 6* US youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year. Depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $1 Trillion in lost productivity each year.*
Contributors to this increase have roots in many factors that are not only tied to the fear and ripples of COVID-19 but also the bubbling up of mental health issues that have been dormant or simply ignored for years. Most of us reading this grew up in the ’70 and ’80s — emotional literacy and mental well-being were not mainstream topics of discussion. If you were like my parents, you just didn’t have the awareness or time to help because you were slaving away at your job to merely survive. There were no thoughts of thriving or living a better life, let alone trying to understand why the teenager spent countless hours locked up in their room or why outbursts of tantrums occurred. They just didn’t have the time or resources to allow changes in positive behavior. Instead, they made up stories that this behavior was ‘part of the teenage years.’
Many more organizations and resources are becoming available to help teams and families work through mental health challenges through one-on-one coaching and therapy utilizing the latest technology, ease of access, along with affordability. Most health insurance are now required to cover mental health and substance abuse disorders. The bad news is that 60% of adults and 50% of youth ages 8-15 with a mental health issue did not receive mental health services last year.** Sadly, if timetables are not collapsed, and these figures do not decrease dramatically, the negative ripples will be experienced for decades and centuries to come.
There is even better news for many suffering from the stress and anxiety of their corporate jobs. Over the past four years there has been a significant paradigm shift with greater personal/family life prioritization encouraging great work to life balance, which started with hybrid and remote work schedules that were implemented during the pandemic. Unfortunately many companies are going back to 100% in office. But despite this, personal priorities have changed permanently and many executive workers are no longer accepting that they need to be miserable and a slave to their jobs. More and more people are seeking greater freedoms and flexibility through other “better” options such as business ownership through franchising.
If you are interested in learning more about a new franchise model that is specific to helping individuals achieve great life balance and better mental health, let’s connect for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
FranGuidance
**https://psychcentral.com/lib/mental-health-professionals-us-statistics#1, USDOL BLS