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Mental Health: The Bigger Picture

29 October 2020 | Story Carmine Nieman | Photo Pexels

self-care_web read more — The Division of Organisational Development (OD) and Employee Wellness has developed numerous interventions to enhance employees' holistic well-being and to impact the university's climate and employee functioning.

October is Mental Health Awareness Month; everyone must understand what mental health is and what can be done to help improve mental health. Creating a better understanding, raising awareness, and distributing resources may be the ultimate solution to improve overall mental health and well-being.

The definition of mental health is broad and may be confusing or overwhelming for some individuals. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is defined as: “a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. Other definitions describe mental health as a set of symptoms of positive functioning and feelings, representing an individual’s well-being (Keyes, 2002).

The existing broad definitions of mental health may be less confusing or overwhelming when individuals know what is included or excluded in this definition. Mental health, similar to mental ill health, can be defined as a set of symptoms present at a specific level (Keyes, 2002). Still, the difference is that mental health symptoms overlap with the distinction between the social and cognitive functioning of an individual (Keyes, 2002). Therefore, mental health and well-being can be defined as more than just the absence of psychopathology; it is also the presence of emotional, psychological, and social well-being (Keyes, 2002, 2005). Furthermore, mental health should be seen in relation to all the other areas of well-being: social, spiritual, financial, environmental, physical, and occupational. Well-being is a holistic approach, and therefore all the areas of well-being influence each other either positively or negatively. This concept is usually misunderstood, but it is crucial to improving well-being and health. For instance, occupational well-being is one of the most important social determining factors of mental health, since the environment at work and the organisation can have a profound effect on the mental health and well-being of employees (World Health Organisation, 2020). On the opposite side, negative mental health damages an individual’s cognitive, behavioural, emotional, social, and interpersonal functioning (World Health Organisation, 2020).

There is a bigger picture to mental health than most people realise. Mental health should be a priority for every individual. Still, it is essential to broaden the understanding of mental health and broaden the approach to increasing mental health. Mental health is part of a holistic well-being approach, focusing on all the well-being areas that influence each other. It is imperative to focus on a holistic approach to disease prevention and health promotion, which is dynamic and results in high energy and performance and an enhanced quality of life.

The Division of Organisational Development (OD) and Employee Wellness has developed numerous interventions to enhance employees' holistic well-being and to impact the university's climate and employee functioning. The following holistically focused interventions are available to improve employee well-being:

• Workout@Home online

• Psychological and emotional debriefing sessions

• Well-being webinars

• Self-care workshop

• Thriving, not just surviving campaign

• MBTI team development sessions

• Coping with COVID-19 presentations

• #StayWellStayStrong

• I am Employee Wellness Programme

• CareWays

• Talent management

• Culture and engagement initiatives

• OD and research initiatives

Improving mental health should not be seen in isolation, but rather in collaboration with other well-being areas. We hope that your understanding of mental health has been enhanced by the bigger picture, namely holistic well-being. It is essential to see the bigger picture when it comes to mental health, since this may help to improve overall health and well-being. We also hope that you will create awareness of mental health and utilise and distribute the available resources we offer.

News Archive

Agriculture must adapt to change

2008-11-28

At the launch of "50 years of agriculture" at the UFS were, from the left: Mr Corwyn Botha: Chairman: Agri Business Chamber and Managing Director: Cape Agri Group, Mr Motsepe Matlala, President of NAFU, Mr Hans van der Merwe, Executive Head: Agri SA, Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk: Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS, and Mr Sugar Ramakarane, Head: Department of Agriculture, Free State Province.
Photo: Lacea Loader

“The biggest factor driving agriculture today is change. Our major challenge is to adapt to this changing environment.” This was stated by Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) during the recent celebration of the faculty’s “50 years in agriculture”.

Prof. Van Schalkwyk stated that the most important changes include power relationships in supply chains, consumer demand, new products and technology in agriculture, government action and developments in neighbouring states. “At the moment there is very little cooperation between small-scale farmers, small-scale farmers and commercial farmers and farmers and processors. There are also low levels of processing, low levels of value adding and a lack of creative thinking in agriculture," he said.

“This must change – we need comprehensive agricultural support and new business ideas in agriculture. We need better infrastructure, value chain financing and improved institutional support,” he said.

Speaking about agriculture and institutional co-operation in the Free State, Mr Sugar Ramakarane, Chief Director of the Free State Department of Agriculture, said that the UFS plays a vital role in bringing together organised agriculture in the province. “The responsibility of transforming our economy cannot be done by government alone. We need partners like the UFS to assist us with bringing together the two most important stakeholders of the agricultural sector, namely the National Farmers’ Union (NAFU) and Free State Agriculture. You can assist us with harnessing co-operation and providing practical solutions," he said

Mr Ramakarane said that his department is aware of the university’s good work with emerging farmers. “But, I want to encourage the university to help us with skills transfer and the development of the emerging farmers. You can play a vital role in developing a mentorship programme. Yours remains a central and critical role of being torch bearers in guiding the transformation agenda of our country," he said.

In his contribution on the challenges of small scale farmers in South Africa and the role of the university, Mr Motsepe Matlala, President of NAFU, said that unity in organised agriculture and working together with other stakeholders has become even more crucial with regard to the global challenges now faced by the country. “The university should take the lead in guiding all farmers on how to respond to, among others, the global financial turmoil and politics, developments in trade negotiations, food prices, input costs and the availability of energy," he said.

“If the UFS, and more specifically the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, is to continue to play a leading role in academia as well as in the production of research that matters to the growth and development of this country, it must adopt an approach that seeks to harness the capacity of everyone in an inclusive manner. The strides already made in this regard must be applauded,” Mr Matlala said.

Speaking on the future challenges in agriculture and the role of universities, Mr Hans van der Merwe, Executive Head of Agri SA said that South Africa has not spent money on agricultural development in a long time. “We must increase our product capacity in the agricultural sector. Universities must focus on cultivating enough expertise and the skills necessary to manage the resources and capacity needed," he said. In his view, South Africa must also focus on technological advancement in agriculture as this has also been neglected in the past. He urged universities to provide best-practice education and to look at international trends in agricultural training. “That is why we should not only focus our attention on South Africa, but on southern Africa,” Mr van der Merwe said.

In conclusion to the day’s programme, Mr Corwyn Botha, Chairperson of the Agricultural Business Chamber, Managing Director of the Cape Agri Group and former Kovsie stated that: “If you want to be an example of leadership, people around you must do better because you are there. A university should evaluate itself in this context. You cannot create solutions to problems with the same attitude in which the problems were created."

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
28 November 2008

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