As Mental Health Awareness Week approaches this month, its theme – community and belonging – reminds us of the fundamental role relationships play in our well-being.
For those of us in the liquid fuel industry, where long hours, demanding schedules, shift work, constant change and often solitary work can take a toll on our mental health, Mandy Rutter, independent consultant, trainer, psychologist, and counsellor, suggest that fostering strong connections with friends, colleagues, families and teams, isn’t just useful, it’s essential.
Positive psychology
The positive psychology movement has had a lot to say about the importance of belonging and community, so let’s start with a description of positive psychology and how its principles can be used to strengthen our mental health.
When we think about mental health, we usually think about problems of the mind; anxiety, depression, bi-polar disorder, stress, worry (many of which Mandy has covered here in previous insights), however, the forgotten part of mental health is that for most of us, most of the time, our mind works quite well. We can be ambitious, achieve goals, look after ourselves and our families, make good decisions and enjoy moments of fun, intimacy, love and laughter. The scientific study of what contributes to human beings flourishing is positive psychology.
PERMA
According to Positive Psychologists, they are 5 essential elements of wellbeing:
P – Positive Emotion
This is about doing things that help you feel good, hopeful, proud and optimistic, but it’s not about always feeling happy. It’s about working to accept the mistakes and injustices from the past and anticipating positively what the future holds. It about making the right decisions to help yourself feel good, including physical health (sleep, hydration, nutrition, exercise) and mental health (enjoyment, self-care, gratitude, work-life balance, ambition, fulfilment).
E – Engagement
Who would have thought that absorbing yourself completely in an activity can be good for us? Whether its reading, gardening, playing sport, yoga, painting, listening to music, DIY, or even spreadsheets and engineering – the sense of complete absorption in an experience has been shown to have a positive impact on our emotions (‘time flies when you are having fun’). Think about things you love doing, and how you feel whilst you are doing it. You will notice that time flies by as you immerse yourself in a state of ‘flow’. Dopamine is released during a state of flow, enhancing focus, motivation and pleasure.
R – Relationships
This is where we talk about ‘community’. For most of us, it is a very natural human desire to want to connect with others and be part of a group. We are literally ‘wired’ for connection with the brain changing during positive interactions with others, for example:
- Renewed energy – dopamine release during connection with others helps us feel positive and motivated
- Stress reduction – oxytocin is released by the brain during meaningful social interactions with friends, family, colleagues and loved ones, which helps to lower stress levels, and repair damage to the body which occurs during stress.
- Regulating emotions – social connections stimulate and strengthen neuronal pathways in the brain that are responsible for regulating mood and maintaining perspective. Hence through positive engagement with others we can strengthen our own resilience and stress management abilities
- Clarity of thinking and learning – our brains are tuned to notice, observe and empathise with others, so when we interact together multiple parts of the brain are stimulated and new neuronal pathways are developed. This supports new learning, co-operation and overall cognitive development.
- The power of relationships works both ways – not only is our wellbeing enhanced through how others interact with us, but we can have a positive impact on our friends, family and colleagues through simple acts of kindness and compassion.
M – Meaning
What things are meaningful and worthwhile to you?
If we want to pursue the path of positivity and happiness, we must understand the values and beliefs in life that are important to us, and spend time engaged in activities that enable us to live out these values. Many of us have worked in jobs where the values of the organisation did not match our own values and beliefs.
You will remember the impact this experience had on your mind, body and soul – it was literally soul destroying – leaving us feeling empty and incomplete. Therefore, if it’s possible to find your purpose and value in your work, you can live out your personal values on a day-to-day basis, with the resulting ‘feel good’ factor.
This is something to be grateful for. Many of us work towards our personal fulfilment outside the workplace, for example through faith groups, volunteering, fundraising for charities, mentoring, caring for other people, or campaigning for justice.
A – Accomplishments
Having things to work towards and achieving a sense of competence and mastery are important for cultivating hope and pride in ourselves. By setting ourselves goals and achieving them, we improve our sense of effectiveness, self-confidence and wellbeing.
During difficult periods in our lives, it can be easy to think that we are achieving little and we become more prone to procrastination and avoidance. However, during these times, if we can boost our levels of activity beginning with small noticeable steps, it can help us feel more productive, positive and purposeful.
Examples might include starting a new exercise programme, learning something new through podcasts or webinars, taking on additional work responsibilities or helping others who are struggling. Accomplishments don’t have to be grand gestures of monumental change, for some people, some of the time, getting out of bed every day and doing basic tasks of the day can be a great accomplishment.
Strengthening positive psychology and community in the fuel distribution sector
The biggest strength of our industry is its people, but how does it demonstrate this?
As we have described above, when employees feel connected – to colleagues, to customers, and to a shared purpose they are more engaged, motivated and resilient. This is why it is so essential to build a workplace culture that prioritises connection, not just for productivity but for overall positivity and wellbeing. During Mental Health Awareness week, we can all reflect on how we can strengthen our sense of belonging both in the workplace and in our wider communities. Here are some ideas:
- Encourage open conversation about mental health – both the struggles and the inspirations, both the challenges and the recovery. If you have Wellbeing Champions or Mental Health First Aiders, request that they lead talks and discussions about different aspects of mental health, and how belonging to a community has helped. These discussions can also be led by professional partners, such as Employee Assistance Providers, or Occupational Health professionals.
- Strengthen workplace relationships through peer support programmes. Employees who have a best friend at work are more engaged and productive, and it is the biggest predictor of workplace engagement (Gallup Workplace Report 2024). Promoting a culture of positive kindness and personal support starts with individual peer relationships. Establishing mentor, and reverse mentoring systems for employees at both the beginning and end of their careers. Developing buddy systems for employees returning to work after illness, or those in new roles will also promote a culture of care and positive supportive relationships.
- Team building and social activities. Leaders can promote a sense of community within their organisation by sponsoring and encouraging large and small team building events. With home working, hybrid working, and lone working, there are less and less opportunities for colleagues to come together and a well-crafted team building event can offer opportunities for positive, caring co-operation.
- Encourage involvement in industry groups. Beyond, but connected to, the workplace is a wide variety of national and international organisations, associations, professional bodies, unions and accrediting panels that create their own community of professionals. Colleagues within these professional communities can become role-models and friends, with whom you can learn, share good practice and access additional personal and professional resources.
- Link with community support groups. There are many nationwide communities helping people with mental health struggles, for example, Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous. It could be useful to invite the leader of a local group to come to the workplace and talk about their work. On the positive psychology side there are national and local groups being run by Action for Happiness (www.actionforhappiness), which encourages positive social chance and a culture of happiness and kindness. These groups are led by trained volunteers, who would welcome the opportunity to spread the word about their work within workplaces
- Volunteer with community organisations. All commercial firms are part of the local community where they reside, and recognising their role as friends and neighbours can be a powerful driver for a positive sense of community. Volunteering at a local school, sowing seeds at a community garden, decorating outdoor fencing at an animal sanctuary or raising funds for local charities can reinforce a collective sense of purpose and belonging.
With the focus of Mental Health Awareness Week and these insights from Mandy shining a light on the importance of community and connection, it is fitting that this month sees our industry come together at this year’s annual industry event.
UKIFDA Show 2025 is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, share experiences, address challenges and remind ourselves of the strength, solidarity and cooperation that define our mutually supportive, resilient community.
Featured images are courtesy of the Mental Health Foundation