Resources

I spent a long time during my time at MPA working on content on the topic of mental health. Included in this topic, but not exclusively is also the topics of gender identity and other social minorities. Here I have collated the collection of resources I found to be very useful on these topics for educational purposes. A lot of the mental health advice below is particularly specific to pandemic times and working from home, but a lot of the advice still stands and is very relevant considering the current circumstances.

As a discalimer, I am by no means an expert on these topics. But one thing I can say is I have realised every single person is very different when it comes to what works for them. These resources I hope can be a great starting point for people wanting to learn about these topics, either for themselves or for someone else, but nothing can replace professional help. If you or someone you know really needs help and/or are in danger, please seek professional help immediately. There are some resources at the bottom of this page.

Respecting identity

This is not necessarily a mental health issue, but for a lack of a better place to put this currently, I'd like to include a number of resources here on the topic of respecting identity of our colleagues and friends. The aim here is to provide a surface-level overview of this topic, in the hope that this will increase awareness around this topic such that current and future collaborators and friends will feel welcomed and accepted and their identities will be respected.

• What does cisgender and non-cisgender mean?
• Why are pronouns important?
• Collection of resources for further understanding of pronouns

How can cisgender people help to make people feel accepted and included

• How to Be Human: Talking to People Who Are Transgender or Nonbinary
• How To Be an Ally to Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming People
• Recognizing and respecting trans identities
• How to Be a Friend to Trans Folks Without Putting Your Foot in Your Mouth: A Short Guide for Cis People
• Creating a Trans-Inclusive Workplace
• Consider normalising sharing pronouns by sharing your own
• Sharing pronouns on social media and in email signatures

Helping others with their mental health

Giving and receiving advice

Many people have suffered with their mental health lately. It can feel impossible to settle into a routine of working from home and to motivate yourself to do work or even everyday mundane tasks. There has been an increase in sharing our troubles and difficulties which can be very liberating to say these things out loud as well as hearing that other people are going through the same thing. But what often comes from this is an avalanche of ‘advice’. Advice is (almost always) well-meant by a caring friend or a loving family member, but it can do a lot more harm than good in some circumstances. I also want to point out the irony that a lot of ‘advice’ will be presented in this email, but you are free to take whatever serves you and reject what doesn’t work for you. This is not so easy to do when it is directed to you in person however. Here are some articles to consider on giving and receiving advice:

• The psychological reasons you shouldn’t give advice
• Why unsolicited advice isn’t always helpful to someone living with a mental illness
• The Dangers of Well-Meaning Mental Health Advice
• Stop giving unsolicited mental health advice - we don't want it
• How to support someone with a mental health problem

Zoom fatigue and remote working

We are all used to the constant Zoom calls and the ‘can you see my cursor’, ‘can you hear me’, ‘Oh, you’ve frozen’, etc etc. But Zoom/video calls can be draining, especially for particular personality types. Here are some articles for those who would like to understand more:

• The secret struggles of introverts in a remote workforce
• 'Zoom fatigue' is Real - Here’s How to Cope
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Managing and maintaining your own mental health

Noticing and preventing Burnout

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Redefining 'Self-care'

Self-care is not necessarily a bath with candles or going to get a beauty treatment. Self-care should be thought of almost as self-preservation. It can be saying no to things you know will drain you, or starting a bit late one day because you just wanted to take some extra time to make yourself a nice breakfast and enjoy your coffee. What you consider to be ‘self-care’ will be extremely person specific, but I encourage you to spend some time identifying your own versions.

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Hormones and mental health

I wanted to add a section here on hormonal effects on mental health, as it's something that I learnt more about recently and I think it's worth mentioning and listing some articles. This is relevant for menstruating individuals.

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