Reflections from a recovering burnout. Are you fostering a healthy environment?

By now, employers are beginning to understand that mental health is a crucial component of overall well-being, and it's essential for employees to be mentally healthy for a sustainable business. In the creative industry, mental health is often overlooked, long hours, weekend pitches, toxic leadership and so on add to the level of distress.

Creativity and mental health are closely linked, and it's no surprise that many creative professionals experience mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and burnout. According to a study by Blind, designers and creative professionals were the third-most likely group to report feeling burned out (55%). I can relate. 

Transparently, I am writing this from the middle of a 6 week break from work while hanging in a friend's backyard in Denver–perfect breeze, warm sunshine, and all. I had gone years, pushed through the pandemic, and kept telling myself “I just have to get through this next project and then I can slow down.” But that never happened, there was always another priority project. I was declining rapidly. Unfortunately, the creative industry breeds this type of attitude with its fast-paced, high-pressure environment, which can lead to a never ending loop of exhaustion. 

A 2018 study by Adobe found that 82% of respondents felt that they experience creative burnout, with 59% saying that they experience it regularly.

Let’s not even get into the mindset many minorities have around “rest being for the weak”  Again, I was one of them.

According to a 2021 study by LinkedIn, only 37% of Black professionals in the US said they feel comfortable taking time off for mental health, compared to 52% of white professionals.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. And as a creative leader I refuse to subject my team to the things I’ve gone through in the design, advertising, and tech industries. I have a responsibility to create a workplace culture that prioritizes mental health. So, here are some ways we can all promote mental health in the creative workplace for a sustainable business and more importantly healthy people.

1. Encourage Open & Honest Communication Creating an environment where employees can openly communicate about their mental health is crucial. Many people feel ashamed or embarrassed to talk about their mental health, but employers can change that by creating a culture of openness and understanding.
   
   I’m thankful for my manager/friend/prayer warrior/and confident that gave me the room to take time for myself. It’s because of her, that I aim to run Anchor 6:19 from a place of openness.

2. Promote Life-Work Balance We’ve reached a new age. Where people should have the freedom and flexibility to honor their working styles and themselves in a work setting.
   
   At Anchor, we don’t care when you work or where you design, ideate, email from as long as your work is completed on time without adding stress to your peers.That is one thing we as leader’s can not stand for. One employee's freedom should not become someone else’s stress.
   

3. Forget Stigmas Encourage employees to be open about their mental health struggles and celebrate those who seek help. By addressing stigma, employers can create a workplace that prioritizes mental health and supports employees in their mental health journeys.

   Inspired by one employee at Anchor who was brave enough to say he needed a mental health day, we’ve since put into practice team-wide mental health days and I can say for myself it’s changed me for the better. 

Yes, I know somewhere someone is shaking their head thinking “Mental health is a personal problem, not a work problem.” But if we can’t be whole people mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally can we really “work” at all?

That’s on you to decide but for me and the team at Anchor 6:19, we will continue to value wellness. But hey, like anyone in recovery…I’m still recovering. So I invite you to hold me accountable on this journey.