Mental Health Prioritization

Throughout my football career, I learned that performance isn’t just about how hard you train—it’s also about how well you recover. Whether you're on the pitch, in the boardroom, or building something of your own, the same rule applies: "You can’t pour from an empty cup." Rest and recovery aren't signs of weakness—they're signs of wisdom. It’s in those moments of pause that your body and mind regenerate, that clarity returns, and that you're able to show up stronger and more focused for what really matters. We live in a world that often glorifies being “always on.” But I’ve seen firsthand that sustainable success comes from balance. High performers—athletes, leaders, creatives—understand the power of rest as part of their routine, not apart from it. Some periods can be very intense, but managing your work and rest can help you extract the top performance possible. Even if some things may be feel urgent, sometimes you have to create your pause moments, and then attack the task with full focus and energy. Motivation and intention are such important factors of success, and the right rest can keep your motivation at a high level resulting in better focus, better effort and better success!

The day I realised work never ends… but life does. Last month, a close friend of mine, Raghav, called me sounding completely drained. He had been pushing himself for weeks—late nights, weekend logins, skipping family plans—just to meet a set of deadlines that somehow kept moving. Every time he finished one task, two new ones quietly replaced it. One Friday evening, after yet another extended shift, he told his manager, “I’m thinking of taking two days off, but I’ll manage it next month once everything settles.” His manager simply smiled and said: Raghav, work is never going to end. You take leave so your life doesn’t end.” He finally took those two days off. And guess what? He came back on Monday sharper, calmer, more creative, and far more productive than he had been in the last 30 days. The deadlines didn’t suffer. The world didn’t fall apart. His team actually appreciated the energy he brought back. That’s when it hit me: When you take leave, you’re not being irresponsible you’re actually contributing to a healthier work culture. Because rested employees: Think better Handle pressure with clarity Bring fresh energy to the team Produce higher-quality work Burnout doesn’t make you a hero. Balance does. So here’s the reminder most of us need: ✔️ Work will never finish. ✔️ Your leaves exist for a reason. ✔️ Never compromise your rest because of deadlines. Take your leave. Protect your energy. A fresh mind is always more powerful than a tired one. Prioritize your well-being. When you recharge, you don’t just help yourself you elevate your entire team and workplace.

Addressing our nation’s behavioral health crisis isn’t just a moral, public health imperative — it would lift all boats by boosting our economy and saving more than $280B per year. I had a choice to join NJ Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston and colleagues at HIMSS to discuss how unaddressed behavioral health issues impose a significant financial burden on the American economy each year. Recent analyses estimate that these costs range from approximately $280 billion to $477.5 billion annually. A study published in May 2024 by Columbia Business School estimated that mental health issues cost the U.S. economy more than $280 billion annually. This figure accounts for factors such as reduced investment, decreased productivity, and diminished wealth accumulation. The study emphasized that this economic impact is comparable to that of a recession, equating to about 1.7% of the country’s annual consumption. All the while, more data is surfacing that shows reductions in TOTAL health spend — not just within the mental health category— when patients get better with reliable access to mental health care. At the same time, innovative approaches to digital and in-person access championed by Spring Health and others manage to connect patients to providers within days, using AI to match individual patients with therapists that are most likely to be successful treating them the first time around. Premium services are clearly overcoming workforce shortages in mental health by enhancing access and provider availability. If we valued mental health that much more incrementally — by boosting Medicare and Medicaid rates for mental health services— the result would improve lives, reduce total health spend, and boost productivity in the economy. Policies that expand mental health access, and incentivize greater entry into the field, just make sense.

If you're grinding 80-hour weeks thinking it'll make you successful, And you're sacrificing your rest time for productivity... IMO, you're doing it wrong. Here's why burning out won't get you ahead: → Your brain needs rest to perform at its peak. → Your creativity dies when you're exhausted. → Your decision-making gets worse, not better. . I learned this the hard way. Ten years ago, I was "that" person. → Answering emails at 2 AM. → Skipping meals. → Canceling plans with friends. "This is what success looks like," I told myself. But my results were getting worse, not better. So what should you be doing instead? ✔️ Optimize for mental maintenance. ✔️ Optimize for sustainable energy. ✔️ Optimize for smart work, not hard work. ✔️ Optimize for recovery. Here's how to work smarter: ✅ Protect your peak hours. ↳ Do your most important work when your brain is fresh. ✅ Take breaks before you need them. ↳ Don't wait until you're burnt out. ✅ Set boundaries with your time . ↳ Your energy is finite, treat it like gold. ✅ Invest in rest like others invest in stocks. ↳ Sleep, exercise, and downtime pay dividends. You maintain your car before it breaks down. But when did you last maintain yourself? 🪫 Also - and this is crucial: 💡 Mental exhaustion isn't a badge of honor. 💡 It's a warning sign that you're working against yourself. ❌ The most successful leaders I know aren't the ones burning midnight oil. ✅ They're the ones who protect their mental energy like their most valuable asset. Because it is. When I started prioritizing rest over hustle: ✔️ My creativity exploded. ✔️ My decisions improved. ✔️ My relationships got stronger. If you treat your mind like this, Your results will speak louder than your hours ever could ✨ What's one way you'll maintain your mental energy this week instead of waiting until you burnout? P.s. ✍🏻 I am Benjamin Loh, CSP, a strategic growth coach and consultant who has constructed some of the leading icons in the financial industry in Asia through the power of authentic storytelling and authority building. 💡Follow me for personal brand and growth insights. #mentalhealth #worklifebalance #productivity #careergrowth #growth

In my 20s, I thought working 80 hours a week made me successful. In my 40s, I realized it made me stupid. Sure, I made money, hit President’s Club, led massive deals. But it wasn’t until I started resting that I actually built wealth. Today, I want to explain why REST is the ultimate Revenue Generating Activity. And how top performers use it to make more money in less time. Most salespeople still think “grind” equals “growth.” But here’s the truth: revenue-generating activities (RGAs) only work when you have the energy to do them. You can’t prospect powerfully when you’re running on fumes. You can’t lead impactful calls when your brain is foggy. You can’t close big deals if your energy is small. That’s why I started teaching my team a new kind of RGA: Rest-Generating Activities. Rest-Generating Activities are the foundation that make real RGAs possible. Because what kills most AEs isn’t lack of talent. It’s fatigue. They waste energy on the wrong things — Slack, internal meetings, busywork — and then try to prospect in survival mode. Here’s how I stay in peak performance mode without working nights or weekends: 1. Plan Rest Like Revenue I take four vacations a year. Not maybe. Not “if I hit quota.” I book them six months in advance. It’s not luxury — it’s strategy. When there’s a deadline before a break, I work sharper. When I return, my creativity explodes. 2. Track Sleep Like Pipeline I use WHOOP to make sure I get 7–8 hours of quality sleep. Because a rested brain closes more than a tired one ever will. 3. Protect the Calendar Every day, I block 12–1 p.m. That’s lunch with my wife, a walk, a reset. If you sprint from 8:30–12, you need that hour. Otherwise you’re running a marathon on fumes. 4. Stop at a Set Time I stop working at 5 p.m. (sometimes 6 p.m. — never 10). Why? Because if there’s no hard stop, there’s no urgency. When you know you can’t work at night, you make the day count. The result? I work 40 hours a week. I outperform people who work 80. Because my hours are intentional, not impulsive. The problem isn’t overwork — it’s under-focus. Most people are busy for 60 hours instead of productive for 6. And when you fix that, you win at work and at life.

Mental health support shouldn't be a last resort. I've noticed something in my years building OpenUp: many people still view therapy or coaching as something only for crisis moments. This mindset is holding us back. As leaders, we don't wait until our business is failing to review our strategy. We don't ignore small market shifts until they become existential threats. So why do we often wait until we're at our breaking point before attending to our mental well-being? I've found that engaging with mental health professionals works best from a position of strength. When you're reasonably balanced, you can explore patterns, build resilience, and develop practices that serve you when challenges arise. What's fascinating is how these conversations illuminate connections we couldn't see before. Recurring challenges that seemed unrelated suddenly reveal their common roots. It's like upgrading your operating system, suddenly you process information in ways your default settings never could. Preventive mental health care doesn't just reduce the risk of serious challenges. It empowers us to maximize our potential as leaders, partners, parents, colleagues, and community members. That's why I believe mental health support should be as normal as having a financial advisor or a personal trainer. It's not about fixing what's broken, it's about investing in your most valuable asset: your mind. What's holding you back from making this investment in yourself? #MentalHealth #Leadership #PreventiveCare #PersonalDevelopment

Lifestyle medicine's true foundation is evidence, not trends. My experience and longitudinal observations have repeatedly demonstrated that sustainable health outcomes stem from an evidence-based approach to core lifestyle factors. Understanding this foundation is crucial. I used to think that "health" was simply the absence of disease. After years in clinical practice, I realised it is actually the presence of capacity. We often fragment our health into isolated to-do lists. Eat this. Move that. Sleep now. But the data suggests these six pillars are not separate tasks. They are an interconnected system that dictates your biological reality. Nutrition This is not about diet culture. It is the fuel for cellular repair and cognitive function. Without adequate nutrient density, the machinery of the body simply cannot run the repair processes it was designed for. Physical Activity Movement is often framed as calorie burning. In reality, it is a signalling mechanism. It tells your muscles to dispose of glucose, your bones to retain density, and your brain to release neurotrophic factors. It is maintenance, not punishment. Sleep This is where the work happens. Sleep governs appetite regulation, emotional stability, and immune function. If you skip this, you are building on a cracked foundation. No amount of green juice fixes a sleep debt. Stress Management We cannot eliminate stress, but we must manage the response. Chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system degrades every other system over time. Managing this is not a luxury. It is physiological necessity. Social Connection Loneliness carries a mortality risk comparable to smoking. We are evolved for tribe. Connection buffers the stress response and provides the safety signals our nervous system requires to downregulate. Avoidance of Risky Substances This is about removing friction. Alcohol and tobacco add a toxic load that forces the body to prioritise detoxification over restoration. It is hard to heal when you are constantly defending. When you view these not as chores, but as the operating system for your biology, the picture changes. We are not just trying to prevent illness. We are building the capacity to live well.

20% of adults live with chronic mental illness. That's 1 in 5 of your employees dealing with conditions like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. And most of our workplace mental health initiatives? They're built for crisis management, not long-term support. I just read new research from Emily Rosado-Solomon and Sherry M.B. Thatcher that challenges how we think about supporting these employees. The key insight? The coping strategies people develop during their GOOD days determine how well they navigate their hard days. What does this mean for leaders? It's not about teaching people how to "manage" their conditions. Most employees with chronic mental illness already know what they need. It's about removing the barriers that keep them from accessing it. Three practical shifts: Invest in authentic relationships. Create space for genuine workplace connections to develop. Design offices with both communal AND private spaces. Model that it's okay to talk about hobbies and life outside work. Don't force team bonding—make room for it. Strong relationships with coworkers who understand your specific work context become lifelines during difficult moments. Real flexibility matters. Not "you can work from home on Fridays" flexibility. I'm talking about the kind that lets someone attend therapy on a Tuesday at 2pm without guilt or explanation. Benefits that actually work. Robust mental health coverage isn't a perk—it's essential. Include access to diverse providers who reflect different cultural backgrounds and therapeutic approaches. This isn't just good DEI practice. It's good business. Employees with chronic mental illness bring extraordinary value to organizations. But only when we stop treating mental health support as a checkbox and start building systems that work for people's actual lives. The question isn't whether you have an EAP. It's whether you're providing the kind of ongoing support that makes crises few and far between. #DEI #MentalHealthAtWork #InclusiveLeadership #WorkplaceWellness #HRLeadership https://lnkd.in/gzn_AmxV

Well-being and mental health care for sports participants and competitors can start with... -Psychologically Safe Environments: where the thoughts, feelings, experiences and personalities of its participants are considered when striving to understand behaviour (and when considering every policy, every practice, and every process). “Who is the person and why do they behave in this way...and how can we best behave and interact with this person.” -An attitude that every person counts: if they’re here, then we care! -Psychological safety: giving participants a voice in policy, practice, and process...and where participants are given a safe space to express vulnerability (while appreciating individual differences in attitude towards such safety) -Motivational climate: leaning towards a mastery orientation (a focus on developmental and performance tasks), while appreciating individual differences in motivational patterns, from internal (feeding intrinsic rewards) to external (feeding extrinsic rewards). -Safe uncertainty (thanks Dr Suzanne Brown): providing safety with the above approaches, while providing an environment that stretches (a balance between stretch and support). -Coach-athlete relationships that are close, committed, co-operative, and co-orientated (see work of Professor Sophia Jowett) -Optimal coaching engagement: a range of coaching practices from free play through deliberate practice through conditioned activities -Coach with strong teaching skills to enhance learning: a strong knowledge of cognitive architecture of the brain (working memory and long term memory) helping players to enjoy the process of learning -Teaching that encompasses decision-making: a strong knowledge of decision-making models -Comprehensive player development plans: what, how, why...providing players with greater certainty as to where they are with their game -Mental skills frameworks for all...shared! -Leadership and teamship development on and off the pitch (court): simple, practical ideas that give players the opportunity to experience leadership and develop both task and social cohesion -Incorporation of positive psychology practices including gratitude, optimism etc where possible Mental health and well-being in a sports setting starts with helping players have an adaptive, flexible, and positive relationship with engagement, development and performance (that isn’t to suggest that it is highly recommended that clubs with resources offer access to appropriately trained clinical professionals for mental health education and intervention, but it is to say that coach practice and coach environment matter!) It’s so important that our biggest sporting organisations/clubs sit with complexity, and strive to understand the dynamic sporting environment their participants are engaged in (and avoid making isolated and arbitrary decisions around their mental health strategies) Performance, development, mental health, and well-being are heavily integrated

The US healthcare marketplace has no idea how to  value behavioral health interventions. And it's costing us everything. Here's what insurers are missing: ↳ Veterans getting mental health care show 40%   lower late-stage cancer rates ↳ Depression treatment cuts heart failure   rehospitalizations by 35% ↳ Anxiety therapy reduces all-cause mortality   in cardiac patients The math is staggering: 1/ Every $100 invested in behavioral health  ↳ Returns $190 in reduced medical claims ↳ Prevents costly emergency escalations ↳ Cuts inpatient hospitalization rates 2/ Mental health treatment for seniors ↳ Reduces dementia diagnosis rates significantly ↳ Particularly effective for vascular dementia ↳ Saves decades of long-term care costs 3/ Employer programs prove the ROI ↳ Telepsychiatry shows comparable total costs ↳ Outpatient interventions prevent crises ↳ Early screening stops illness progression Yet insurers still treat mental health as  "nice to have" instead of "must have." This isn't just about parity laws. It's about basic healthcare economics. When we underpay for behavioral health, we  overpay for everything else. Mental health treatment doesn't just save minds. It saves lives, money, and entire healthcare systems. ------------------------------------------- ⁉️ How much longer can we afford to ignore  the $190 return on every $100 invested? ♻️ Share if you believe behavioral healthcare is mispriced. 👉 Follow me for more (Eric Arzubi, MD).