In Germany, one in four people becomes mentally ill in the course of a year. The most common illnesses include anxiety disorders, depression and alcohol and drug abuse. Mental illness causes massive restrictions in professional and social life for those affected. The economic impact is also enormous: mental illness is the second most common reason why people are absent from work. And they are even the most common reason why people retire early. Or have to retire. And the trend is rising. Mental health in the workplace is therefore becoming increasingly important: the better your employees feel at work, the better their health will be. (Source: German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology e. V.)
However, many people still find it difficult to talk about mental stress in the workplace. This is because many people are still ashamed of their psyche. Men in particular find it difficult to talk about stress in the workplace. But this is not only due to men: For a study by the German Society for Men and Health (DGMG), two actresses and two actors went to several doctors and complained of nasty symptoms that suggested a diagnosis of "burnout" and "depression". The male and female doctors diagnosed the women with "burnout" and "depression" three times as often as the men. Instead, the men were advised to pull themselves together and take a vacation. This makes it all the more important for men to learn to feel themselves and pay attention to their body's signals.
Mental load - coordination stress
Women struggle with a different challenge: mental load. The term was coined in the 1980s and is more relevant today than ever. Mental load describes the constant coordination stress that working women with children in particular experience.
Mental load is less about who does the work. It's more about who thinks about what (still) needs to be done. And that tends to be women. Not least because many women have an innate tendency towards perfectionism and want to do everything "well and correctly". Although, of course, men can also suffer from mental load and perish from it.
People who are susceptible to mental load can't switch off and are always thinking about "what still needs to be done": cake for the children's birthday party. Present for Aunt Erika. Trimming the hedge. Dyeing hair. Getting clothes from the cleaners: The carousel of thoughts spins without pause, constantly finding new things that need to be done. Even when supposedly relaxing in the sauna, going for a walk or doing yoga.
Instead of listening in meetings, "mental loaders" are in their heads all the time. And planning. With fatal consequences: People who constantly feel like they can't get everything done or forget important things are under constant stress. And are therefore susceptible to health problems. For example, burnout, depression and exhaustion. It is therefore important that those affected manage to clear their heads at least once in a while and give their nerves a break from the constant stress.
Feel yourself better
That's easier said than done. Because every time we look at our smartphone, we receive 100 new inputs. The Instagram feed constantly shows us how great the world of others is compared to our own. Staging our own lives is becoming another urgent task. As a result, more and more people are living the lives of others. Instead of their own. They are out of touch with their needs and feelings and do what they think they have to do. With fatal consequences for their health - and their performance at work.
The bow is a mirror that is as patient as it is honest. It gives feedback on every shot and every change. Directly and immediately. There are no technical aids in intuitive archery: if you want to hit the target with the longbow, you have to feel yourself. And change your stance depending on the result. There is no other way to make corrections: intuitive archery does not require a telescope, sight or other aids. There is nothing to turn, nothing to screw and nothing to adjust. All you have to do is rethink your stance and change it if necessary.
Silencing your inner critic
The better you feel yourself, the better you can adapt. Take the bow in your hand and draw it. What is happening to you and your attitude? Can you put what you feel into words? What are your inner critics saying? "You can't do it anyway?" "Surely you're not going to shoot worse than Müller from accounting?" Or do you manage to stay with yourself. To keep your focus. Breathe?What about mental load? Do you breathe in calmly when you undress or quickly and shallowly? Do you think about the bathroom that you've been wanting to paint for a long time? Or do you focus on the here and now instead? What does your posture look like? Do you get the task over with as quickly as possible? Or do you only let go of the arrow when you feel you've hit the mark? Do you show yourself. Or do you keep a low profile? Can you let go at the right moment - or do you try to stop things that can't be stopped?
