Mental health break

I am aware that I can be cynical. It is a trait that I have also observed in others, and one that seems to get a bit worse as the person ages. I don’t want my cynicism to get worse. I think that the idealism of youth deserves the support of elders. I also know that no one age group has all of the answers to life’s most important questions. The way we have done things for most of my career may not be the best way to do things. I can say all of the right words, but sometimes, my instinctual reaction is one of cynicism.

Here is an example: Staff at Nike’s corporate headquarters in Oregon have all been given this week off from work to supper their mental health. The plan is for staff to return to in-office work after a long period of working remotely. First, however, there will be a week of extra time away from work. “Take the time to unwind, destress and spend time with your loved ones,” said a message to staff.

I want the motivation of the Nike management to be concern for their employees. My cynical side fears it is more about their bottom line. First of all, it is clear that Nike can afford the move. Sales are up. The price of Nike stock is up 20% this year. They are going to make a lot of money this year and they can afford to pay their headquarters staff for a week’s mental health break. More importantly, however, I simply cannot see how the lives of Nike’s headquarters staff are somehow more stressful and more in need of a mental health break than the people who work actually producing their shoes. In some ways it seems like their production workers need the week off more than the people who go to work at the Nike campus in Beaverton, Oregon. Sure, it might be stressful to have to go back to work in the office after being able to work from home for an extended period of time. It was also stressful for those who worked producing shoes without the option to work from home while a pandemic raged across the world, children were out of school for extended periods, and childcare was often unavailable.

Just saying . . .

I am grateful that companies are starting to pay attention to the mental health of their employees. I suspect that mental illness is as costly in terms of productivity as physical illness. I am well aware that around the world, physical health receives more funding, support, and understanding than mental health. Nike has gyms and exercise programs for their employees, and operates a sport research lab. They aren’t funding mental health research with their profits.

Maintaining mental health, furthermore, is not the same for every person. Creating a herd mentality about mental health and designating the same week for each employee works well for the convenience of managers, but is hardly the right approach for maximum benefit to employees. Not everyone needs the same pattern of time off. Nike seems to understand that when it comes to shoes one size doesn’t fit all. However, in the case of a mental health break, they are assuming that they can take care of many different individual needs with a standardized approach. It isn’t going to work.

I know it isn’t fair to single out Nike. Apple, Uber and Wells Fargo have all delayed planned return of staff to the office. Our supervisor in our new job recommends that all staff at the church take one “digital detox” day each week, when we do not look at email, exchange text messages, or otherwise engage with that side of our work. It is a good suggestion, but very counter-intuitive for me. I have spent my life doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done and the thought of not responding to the members of the church regardless of the day is a new way of looking at ministry for me. On the other hand, I have no evidence that my way is better than others’.

Self care has always been one of the responsibilities of ministers. We work unusual hours - we don’t get weekends off with our families. We often are working when we are away from the church. Learning to manage stress, care for our physical and psychological health, and make time for our families is part of being a minister. In my own personal situation, prayer has been central to my way of ministry. I make time for prayer every day, often in the early hours of the day when others sleep. I also have used this journal as another technique of maintaining a positive, if sometimes cynical, attitude.

It has been a hard year for so many people. Just reading the news is difficult. The tragic way in which the US withdrawal from Afghanistan has gone, the aftermath of the hurricane in the south, the families fleeing wildfire in the west - there are so many events that disrupt the lives of the people of our communities. And the pandemic is far from over. Fear of illness and death haunts nearly every discussion and meeting. After a career of helping church boards and committees learn to say “yes,” I am having to learn to work with committees and task forces that see their role as setting limits on the behaviors of church members. It is all well-intentioned, but it changes the entire focus of ministry. We used to urge our people to take risks for their faith. Now we are asking them to take precautions. Our business is building community and now the safety of the community requires additional isolation. It is confusing and frustrating.

So take care of yourselves, folks. I hope you can figure out ways to get the time away from work that you need. I hope you will be given time to destress. I suggest finding digital detox days. Write in your journal. Pray. If you aren’t used to praying, don’t worry, it doesn’t require special skills. I’ll promise you this much, if you do pray you will not be the only one praying.

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