Skin and mental health

Once upon a time we came to the office, had a coffee with colleagues, met in rooms, organised group lunches, received suppliers or visited customers. Team buildings, conventions and analogue networking were regularly organised. We were in a world of haste, comfort and technological advances, but with a certain presence of human contact, something that we didn’t even imagine then would cool down to the point of remoulding our social behaviour.

There is no turning back, the model of social relations, especially in the workplace, has changed, and in many cases, it is difficult to integrate it from the personal to the organisations themselves, causing, from silence, numerous problems to physical and mental health.

Some recent studies reveal information to consider, such as that people who have gotten used to eating alone these days may be more likely to make unhealthy food choices, eat fewer fruits and vegetables, and eat at irregular times. Eating alone more than twice a day is associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome*, heart disease, stroke and diabetes in both men and women**.

Even before the pandemic, more than a billion people in the world suffered from a mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety or substance abuse and addiction. Today the figures are multiplying at breakneck speed, reaching the situation in Spain where today, 1 in 4 people are affected by an anxiety or depression problem at some point in their lives. With the consequent cost to organisations in terms of absenteeism, sick leave, demotivation, and poor performance. What is striking is that, despite its enormous global impact, worldwide spending on mental health is less than $2 per person. Although treatments for these conditions exist, they are often unavailable or grossly underused. In Western countries, between 35% and 50% of people living with mental health problems receive no care or treatment.

It is increasingly recognised that there is a complex relationship between the mind and the body and that this interaction can have a significant impact on health and well-being. States of chronic stress are associated with an increased risk of a number of adverse health consequences, including depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and upper respiratory tract infection. Because of the many ways in which mental health affects physical health, people with mental health conditions experience a mortality rate 2.2 times higher than the general population and an average of 10 years of potential life lost.

The built environment serves as a powerful tool helping to mitigate these adverse mental health outcomes through policy, programmes and design. Given the high prevalence of mental health conditions among the working population, the workplace is increasingly seen as an important target for mental health promotion, prevention and interventions. There are many strategies that organisations can take to promote mental health, including: health literacy and stigma reduction efforts; provision of healthy living and working conditions for all, including organisational improvements to promote positive work environments and provision of stress management programmes; nutrition education programmes, face-to-face and deferred workshops on healthy cooking and mindful eating; personal and group fitness programmes, inspirational days, encouraging teamwork and personal skills development; knowledge sharing and handshaking and why not some hugs. 

Finally, some design strategies, such as increasing contact with nature within built spaces, natural light, filtered air, access to places to recharge and unwind, have been linked to numerous health-promoting benefits, increased attention span, better recovery from stress and occupational illness, greater tolerance to pain and improved psychological well-being.

We will not return to the previous model of organisations, but we can progress towards a new environment in which digitalisation solves concrete situations that were unimaginable only a few decades ago, but in which we recover “the basics” that we need to feel good, starting with the most primitive way of relating to human beings, through real contact. 

For all these reasons, at Benefit Brokers ensuring the health of our clients means much more than just covering the risks or the appropriate medical care services for each organisation. We are really aware of the environment and its direct impact on people’s health, that’s why we facilitate in our relationships a direct advice of added services in the world of health that promote an improvement in the quality of life of workers. And as far as possible, we like to work in person, it favours everyone’s health 😉

María Kindelán

* Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of factors, including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides (TG) and low HDL cholesterol levels, and insulin resistance.

**Costa G. Shift work and health: current problems and preventive actions. Safety and health at work. 2010;1(2):112-