May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but being aware of our emotional health and well-being is an EVERYDAY AWARENESS.
To thrive we need to:
- Understand ourselves and our minds and bodies
- Understand the impact that long term stress has on our biology
We also need to find the intersection of those two things — to build a life of connection and belonging, and a future that brings trust and safety while encouraging human sustainability.
It takes a lot of courage to recover from setbacks and failures in the hospitality and incentive travel industries. Finding the unconditional determination to overcome resistance can feel defeating at times, especially when you’re an independent professional. But you have a choice as to how you build up your strength, acceptance and mindset to protect you from illness, both mentally and physically, that easily can manifest itself into burnout.
Finding solutions is what we will focus on in conversation with Annette Gregg, the CEO of SITE, and Leslie Bennett, a human capital expert and part owner of Mental Health Innovations Consulting (MHI).
If you work in the industry, then you have experienced highs and lows that can often feel heavy and painful, weighing you down and making you rethink your purpose and value. As humans, we yearn for acknowledgment and respect for the hard work, commitment, and dedication we put into every event we execute. Learning how to create boundaries and navigate expectations is no easy feat, but it’s possible if you know how to communicate with heart.
Not everyone you meet is gifted with emotional intelligence or has psychological safety training to deal with the plethora of situations that come with these careers: especially the next generation of up-and-coming professionals entering the industry. As leaders we must teach, coach and mentor those who look up to the “elders” for direction, advice and encouragement.
