This year, October 7-13 is Mental Illness Awareness Week, giving employers a perfect opportunity to share available resources. The theme this year is "Cure Stigma."

Each year, around 43.8 million Americans experience a mental health condition. Now,  more than ever, it’s critical to educate employees about resources to avoid burnout and mental breakdowns and reduce suicide risk. 

Plus, it’s a wise move for businesses to invest in mental health education. A World Health Organization (WHO) study estimated “depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy US $1 trillion each year in lost productivity.” 

Every October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an opportunity to spread awareness about the disease that kills nearly 41,000 women each year. No matter your office budget, there are plenty of ways to raise breast cancer awareness in the workplace. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to engage the local community through educational events and fundraising challenges.

Ready to get started? Here’s 14 ideas to spread breast cancer awareness: 

You might not think much about your liver. It's not the most glamorous organ, but it's one of the hardest working. Your liver is responsible for many of your body’s metabolic functions and does the lion’s share of toxin removal to keep you healthy and strong. The liver also plays a role in blood health, acting as a “blood recycler” that breaks down old or damaged blood cells in the body, and regulates iron and plasma levels.

To put it bluntly, your liver is irreplaceable. Unlike the heart, if your liver becomes severely damaged, there are no medical procedures, short of a liver transplant, to replace it. But if you take care of your liver, your liver will take care of you. Here are five ways you can keep your liver healthy:

Your office space is the definition of close quarters. Everyone is in the same space, sharing equipment, and spending their entire workdays together. That means when one employee gets sick, it won’t be long until everyone else has caught the bug too. In a matter of days, you could have an office epidemic on your hands.

If you start to notice an outbreak of the flu – or any illness, for that matter – there are some things you can do to make sure you’re still able to do business efficiently out of your office.

All of us deal with some sort of stress on a regular basis. According to a 2017 survey by Gallup, 79% of Americans feel stressed sometimes or frequently throughout the day. Ignoring this stress can lead to a wide array of health issues – both mental and physical. It can also lead to burnout in the workplace.

Luckily, there are many things you can do to relieve stress. One method that has been gaining a lot of popularity throughout the past few years is meditation. In fact, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH), nearly 18 American million adults practice meditation. While meditation is an ancient practice, more and more people are beginning to utilize its relaxing powers to relieve stress and feel more productive.

Research has found many reasons why meditation is good for us, both mentally and physically. Here are nine science-backed reasons you should start meditating on a daily basis: 

Flu season is coming! Hopefully, this means that your company has an onsite flu clinic coming up. If you're having doubts about participating in this year’s flu clinic, we want to help you realize just how vital receiving your annual flu shot is. 

We know that the flu shot has gotten a bad rap in the past years. Common misconceptions have caused many Americans to shy away from getting vaccinated. Many also underestimate the health risks from the flu. Regardless of some of the things you’ve heard about the vaccine, it’s important to know that getting a flu shot is your #1 defense against the flu. 

So, if you have any doubts about participating in this year’s flu shot clinic, read this first: 

One of the most common excuses for skipping the gym is, “I don’t have the time.” We know how crazy busy most full-time employees are. And we’ll admit, finding time to exercise during the workday can be difficult! One of the ways we help our employees here at TotalWellness find more time for exercise is by offering free, on-site fitness classes.

Our Wellness Specialist, Crysta, started teaching fitness classes to her colleagues this July (2018), and we’ve seen some major positive impacts since then! We would like to share our experience – along with some tips – about our on-site fitness classes. We hope our interview with Crysta inspires some other employers to try out on-site fitness classes of their own!

Hosting an onsite flu shot clinic is one of the simplest ways to protect your workforce during flu season. But getting employees to actually show up? That’s where the real challenge begins.

Employee participation is key to making your clinic a success. Without enough employees getting vaccinated, your workplace remains at risk for a flu outbreak — leading to increased absenteeism, lost productivity, and preventable healthcare costs.

So how do you get more employees on board? Whether it’s your first time hosting a flu shot clinic or you’re looking to boost participation this year, we’ve got you covered. 

When you take a look at your office desk, what do you see? Are there papers sprawled everywhere? Lingering trash from yesterday’s lunch? Or is there simply nothing but blank walls and empty desk space? Believe it or not, your personal workspace has the power to either positively or negatively impact your overall health and mental wellbeing.

Unhealthy workspaces can cause stress and make it difficult to concentrate at work. Not to mention, a chaotic workspace doesn’t exactly scream professionalism. By taking the time to organize and revamp your desk, office, or cubicle, you can boost productivity and help reduce some workplace stress.

Creating and maintaining a healthy workspace is about more than just getting rid of some clutter. It’s about creating a space that promotes healthy habits and helps you feel comfortable and calm throughout your workday. If your workspace makes you feel anything but zen, it might be time for a little makeover. 

Designing Healthy Workspaces

Is it possible to be surrounded by co-workers eight hours a day and still feel lonely? Unfortunately, the answer for many employees is “yes.” Loneliness is a more dangerous issue than it may sound. In fact, research found that loneliness and social isolation have the same effect on a person as 15 cigarettes a day when it comes to healthcare costs and outcomes. 

According to research from TotalJobs, 35% of surveyed employees don’t have any strong relationships at work. This is important for employers to note because when employees feel lonely at work, they tend to feel disconnected from their job. That means that not only does their emotional wellbeing suffer, but their work performance suffers, too.

The good news is that workplace loneliness can be an easy fix. With a bit of help from management and a leap of faith from employees, no one has to feel alone and isolated at work. Keep on reading to learn more about the perks of positive work relationships and some tips on how to combat workplace loneliness.