Resolving the Unhappiness Epidemic

"Across the globe, many people lack joy, harmony, trust and are prone to doubt. They have become despondent and depressed, fail to be their word, sit in overwhelm, others are resigned and intolerant. Others show cynicism and act confused , and many lack confidence all of which results in emotional flatlining, lack of engagement , poor productivity and more recently, unresolved grief, poor mental health and suicides." Pat Armitstead
I believe "You cant lift your bottom line if people are down"
1:5 people are medicated for depression, costing us up to 200 billion per year, and in Australia alone there are 3000 suicides per year . 
That's 8 people every day !  
Johan Hari and I agree on a couple of principles. For almost the past 100 years, mental health professionals have told us that that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. However, there's a much more realistic theory that depression happens due to an imbalance happening outside of your cranium. Johann Hari, author of "Lost Connections", believes that depression these days stem from societal issues. Johann offers some staggering statistics showing that antidepressants seem to be doing much more harm than good — among them, that one out of every four middle-aged women in the United States is taking a chemical antidepressant in any given year.
If we want to get rid of modern-day depression, he says, we have to change society.
We can begin to do that by using :-

• a strengths based approach
• principles from elite performance and positive psychology
• emotional and conversational intelligence

These tools and principles can help build resilience and shift thinking, and I am joined by many other notable business leaders in this belief
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"Human beings are meant to be joyful, light-hearted and happy. And yet at the start of the new millennium we, in the so-called sophisticated Western world, are witnessing an overwhelming epidemic of unhappiness like never before. In recent years we have medicalised this unhappiness – in 2008, more than 164 million prescriptions for antidepressants were written by doctors in the USA. This in my humble opinion is silly – very silly. Because the roots of our problems are not chemical – rather they are to be found in our strained relationships with others, our world, and ourselves. We are in danger of  losing sight of our souls."
Dr Robin Kelly 

Up to now we have not explored grief in the workplace. Its been a bit of a taboo subject, but huge shifts are being made now with in house Domestic Violence Support programs in place in businesses, and even Gary Vaynerchuk has now appointed a Chief Heart Officer, whose role is to build empathy!! Feeling comfortable and learning to relate at this deeper level in the workplace requires the creation of a high trust environment and a willingness to feel uncomfortable !

Over the years I have seen how becoming agile, embracing change, taking risks, communing intimately, and lighting people up has transformed individuals and teams. I interviewed James Greenshields this week and in this powerful video we share we share wisdom and insights on grief, depression and emotional expression. ( This is a longer video and you might like to use it as a discussion point for your leaders when you next meet )

We can make a difference and I am supporting leaders to step into this new place that I call joyful empowerment. You can access a complimentary discovery session by phoning 0061 487105785 to make an appointment !